Bierzo: Antoine Graillot & Raúl Pérez 'Encinas' 2020
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"The 2020 Encinas feels gentler and cleaner, has less alcohol (13.5%) and shows better balance, with black fruit and notions of tree bark. Drink 2022 - 2026. 93/100."
Luis Gutierrez - Wine Advocate.
This Bierzo wine is the result of an exciting collaboration in North West Spain between Spanish wunderkind, Raúl Pérez, and baby of the Graillot bunch, Antoine. The Mencia grape has become fashionable with sommeliers worldwide due to its versatility - combining red cherry flavours with a fresh crunch.
Pure, de-stemmed Mencia from three parcels of vines in Bierzo's Valtuille (clay) and Otero (north-facing schist) villages is vinified in concrete (at Antoine's insistence) and aged in large oak tanks at Raul's own winery. The word 'Encinas' means 'oak' in Spanish, as depicted on the label.
| Style | Red Wine, Sec, Medium-bodied, Non Sparkling |
|---|---|
| Wine Region | Spain |
| Grape Variety (Cépage) | Mencia |
| Food & Wine Matching | Chicken and Turkey, Duck, Mushrooms, Pheasant and Game |
| Viticulture | Non-Organic |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Cellarage | Drink 2022 to 2027. |
| Vinification | Vinified in a cement tank on the suggestion of Antoine (due to its use in Crozes). Unfortunately, the cement tank was too large to get through Raul's winery door, so a section of roof had to be removed and the tank lowered in! The wine is racked into large oak foudre for 10 months' ageing. |
| Alcohol By Volume (%) | 13.5 |
Antoine Graillot & Raúl Pérez
Raúl Pérez, the Spanish winemaking wizard with a Hogwarts beard to match, is producing and consulting throughout Spain. He was approached by Antoine Graillot (Alain's youngest son) who was seeking wines to import into France for his own sideline business, but instead Raúl proposed a joint wine-making venture in his home region of Bierzo.
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