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Fusco Mencia 2018
Ribeira Sacra, Galicia, SpainXurxo Alba's family has been farming and making Albariño in the Rïas Baixas O Salnés region, near the Atlantic Ocean, for generations. It wasn't until Xurxo finished his enology studies that the Alba family started bottling and commercializing their wines in 2006. The Alba family owns 2.5 hectares and sources approximately 10 hectares throughout the region. This old vine organically farmed Mencia comes from steep terraced slopes of decayed granite in Ribeira Sacra's Lugo zone, around Chantada. After a native ferment in stainless over three weeks, this remained in stainless over the winter, bottled the following spring without filtration or fining. This is naked mencia, and all the better for it, expressing exuberant floral violets, musk, wild blueberries, fragrant plums, black raspberries, subtle scrubby green branch/herbaceousness on a finessed, elegant, lighter palate. Tannins are fine, lightly grippy, and ideally in place to usher this to a haunting finish. Certainly showing its kinship here with Dão's Jaen, and quite reminiscent of a Loire cabernet franc. What a beautiful, light touch here, upon what is often an over-oaked, over-extracted grape. Fusco is Galician for night or darkness, referring to the fact that this was the first red Xurxo Alba added to his collection of Albariño.Tasted: 26 March 2021Tasted by: Treve RingPrices:| BC | $31.99 | 750ml | BCLS |
Grape: Mencia (Jaen)CSPC: 173818UPC: 8437010716119
