Michelini i Mufatto 2021 'Encrucijada' Mencia, Bierzo

Michelini i Mufatto 2021 'Encrucijada' Mencia, Bierzo

Item Number: 19918

UPC: 0-853586006467

Country: Spain
Region: Castilla y Leon
Sub Region: Bierzo
Appellation/AVA: Bierzo DO
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2021
Grape(s): 90% Mencía /10% Palomino
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 6
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 12
Total Acidity: 5.11 g/L
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Soil Type: Red slate
Elevation: 700 meters
Case Production: 1,700 bottles

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 18-month aging in a 1500L oval fudre.

Vintage Notes: The 2021 vintage was the coldest that Michelini i Mufatto had experienced in Bierzo, but with good humidity. It translated to wines with a more continental character. Long in the mouth but with a fine tannic structure and more present acidity. The wine shows floral flavors and good minerality and has an aging potential of 15 years.

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: 97 (8/10/2023)
    All of the wines from 2021 have considerably less alcohol than the counterparts from 2020, reflecting the much cooler condition of the year. The 2021 Encrucijada has a moderate 12% alcohol and retained very good acidity. It's perfumed and elegant; the plants are happier after being recovered from being abandoned, and the cool vintage lifted the wine up. It's fresh, tightly wound, very tasty and fine, with elegant tannins. It has to be the most elegant and balanced vintage of Encrucijada so far. 1,700 bottles were filled in October 2022. Drink 2023-2032.