My Mencia - Domino de Tares Exaltos Cepas Viejas 2003

This is the second bottle of Domino de Tares Exaltos that I have purchased. From someone used to getting their wine free (thanks old job) or heavily discounted -- that's saying a lot. I wanted to see if I liked it the second time as much as I liked it the first time. I did!

The label is a little funky - it sort of looks like an orgy. There are what look like people but then again, maybe they are horses - maybe they are naked, maybe they are eating grapes in a wild vineyard. At any rate, it's what's in the bottle that is important. What's in the bottle is 100% Mencia that is from VIEJAS - old vines -- 60 year old vines to be exact. I have been wanting to learn more about Spanish wine, that's why I picked it up in the first place. I didn't know anything about the Mencia grape or anything about the region in Northern Spain; Bierzo. Here's a good article from our friends over at the NYtimes. They did a Mencia tasting. Pretty cool:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/31/dining/31wine.html

I've seen two of their wines here in the states - although I know they have more- The Exaltos is made from 60 year old vines. Apparently, that's not unusual in the area. Like much of Spain, their wine is aged in American oak. It runs anywhere from $20-$28. It's well worth it. I recommend decanting it because it does take a little while to open up. You'll get cherry, wild strawberry, sweet spices, and roasted plum on the nose. It's very smooth on the palate, silky and spicy - there's some vanilla a mellowness from the oak aging too. I would liken it to a merlot/tempranillo experience. We happened to have it with some chorizo and sweet potato puree. It was perfect.