Michelini i Mufatto 2021 'A Merced' Mencia, Bierzo

Michelini i Mufatto 2021 'A Merced' Mencia, Bierzo

Item Number: 19917

UPC: 8-437020633192

Country: Spain
Region: Castilla y Leon
Sub Region: Bierzo
Appellation/AVA: Bierzo DO
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2021
Grape(s): 100% Mencia
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 13.5
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Soil Type: Schist, slate and quartz

Vine Age: 80-year-old goblet-pruned vineyards
Farming: Organic with biodynamic principles
Harvest: Manual

Winemaking Notes: Grapes are foot-treaded (pigeage à pied). 100% whole clusters are fermented with native yeast in clay amphorae through gentle maceration, neither carrying out pressing nor pumping over techniques. A five-month maceration in contact with the pomace and pulp is followed by an eight-month aging in used French barrels.

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: 95 (8/10/2023)
    The 2021 A Merced is surprisingly a little higher in alcohol than the 2020 I tasted next to it, despite the much cooler year. It fermented with 50% foot-trodden whole clusters in 1,000-liter oak casks with indigenous yeasts and a long maceration. It matured in used 225-liter French oak barrels for one year. It's a little earthy but also floral and elegant, combining that wild side that seems to be inherent to this place, as I've noticed it in the last few vintages. It's quite expressive and showy, very complete and balanced. 10,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2022. Drink 2023-2031.