Casa Monte Pio Benquerido Mencía Rias Baixas 2019

Rías Baixas of Spain is known for its world-renowned Albariño (some call it the birthplace of the varietal).  In 1979, the patriarch of the Martinez family, Jose María, planted vines on his property in Val do Salnés to promote the grape-growing potential of the colder maritime climate region.  Along with the Albariño vines, Jose María included 13 other native plantings, including five white and eight red varietals.  Despite the breadth of vines, the family bodega focused mainly on their white wines and rarely bottled the red varietals, let alone sold them to the broader wine-drinking community.  Sometimes though, it takes the next generation to recognize the full potential of the family business.  And with that, we present the 2019 Benquerido, a 100% Mencía from Casa Monte Pío, and the first bottling of the bounty from these estate vines.

Skip ahead two generations of the Martinez family and we have Pablo Martinez, grandson to Jose María and now vintner/winemaker of Casa Monte Pío.  A quick stint in accounting helped Pablo realize he wanted to carry the family torch and take over for his grandfather at the bodega.  With a look to the future, Pablo began implementing organic viticulture practices in the vineyards that he farms himself, which are a short walking distance from his grandmother's home.  He believes a large extent of his winemaking job occurs within the vines and so trains his careful attention to every detail in the vineyard.  This prudent farming is now matched in the winery, as Pablo has advanced the technologies to shift towards small-production, hand-crafted wines.

Lucky for us, Casa Monte Pío's importers visited the property a few years ago and tasted a shiner (bottle with no label) of Mencía from his smattering of native vines.  Originally intended as a bottling just for the family to enjoy, the importers convinced Pablo that this wine was worth a label and a spot in the line-up of his wines imported to the U.S.  Pablo harvested the Mencía by hand, transferred it to the winery, and left the grapes on their stems for fermentation.  Aging occurred over 12 months in 500L French oak puncheons before bottling in early January.  Cool, ocean breezes allow these grapes to maintain a bracing acidity and, therefore, low alcohol in the final wine.  Rainier cherries, wild strawberries, and raspberry bramble make this wine incredibly tempting on the nose.  That bright, linear acidity upholds the ripe, red fruits on the palate with a hint of baking spices, graphite shavings, and savoriness.  Thanks to Pablo's foresight to expand Casa Monte Pío's repertoire into red winemaking, we are thrilled to share this remarkable Mencía with you.