Michelini i Mufatto 2022 'En el Camino' Mencia, Bierzo

Michelini i Mufatto 2022 'En el Camino' Mencia, Bierzo

Item Number: 19916

UPC: 8-437020633093

Country: Spain
Region: Castilla y Leon
Sub Region: Bierzo
Appellation/AVA: Bierzo DO
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2022
Grape(s): 90% Mencia / 10% Blend of Palomino, Doña Blanca, and Alicante Bouschet
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 12
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Soil Type: Slate, stone, and clay

Vine Age: 50+-year-old goblet-pruned vineyards
Farming: Organic with biodynamic principles
Harvest: Manual

Vintage Notes: 2022 was a super early year, with a mild spring and a dry summer, which resulted in wines with a lot of fruit and expressiveness - very noble and frank from minute one.

Winemaking Notes: The 'En el Camino' is produced using 30% whole clusters and 70% destemmed fruit. Short maceration occurs, followed by spontaneous fermentation with native yeast and a subsequent year of aging in 50% wooden and 50% stainless steel vats.

About Bierzo: The Bierzo D.O. was established in 1989. Today there are only 74 commercial wineries in the region, and not all export to the USA. There are 5,800 acres under vines, which are fragmented tiny plots of old vines on steep hillside and hilltop locations. Mencia makes up around 75% of all plantings. The soils are primarily slate and granite on the slopes with sand and clay near the valley floor. The appellation is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean while protected from extreme weather by the Leon and Cantabrian mountain ranges.

Reviews

  • The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 92+ (8/10/2023)
    2022 was […] a warm year, extremely dry, with a very torrid summer, but they managed to keep the alcohol level of the 2022 En el Camino to the same 12.5% as the 2021 I tasted next to it. Furthermore, there might have been some blocking in the plants, as the alcohol didn't go up and the acidity was kept. It's very primary and innocent. It's 90% Mencía with 10% other grapes like Palomino, Doña Blanca and Alicante Bouschet, fermented with 30% full clusters and a short maceration. Fifty percent of the wine matured in oak casks and the other 50% in stainless steel for a period of a little less than one year. 30,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2023. Drink 2023-2029.