December 2024 Tinto Club

In this month's Tinto Wine Club, we're exploring Mencía, also known as Jaen in Portugal. While it's the same grape, we’ll see how it’s expressed differently in wines from Spain’s northwest and Portugal. It’s a fascinating comparison, showing how the same variety can reflect the unique climates and winemaking traditions of two neighboring countries.

César Márquez 2021 Pico Ferreira Mencia, Bierzo Regular Price: $53.99 Club Price: $ 45.89 Buy Now

I’ve always been impressed by César Márquez’s wines, and I feel lucky that some of the first Mencías I was introduced to were his. Right from the start, that set the bar pretty high, giving me a real sense of how the character of Mencía is unique and very terroir-specific.

Pico Ferreira is a blend of 85% Mencía with Alicante Bouschet and a touch of white varietals. The Mencía is sourced from a small, northeast-facing single parcel on rocky slate in Bierzo. It captures the complexity of wines from this region, with Mencía bringing warm spice, a hint of red pimiento, and a beautiful balance of floral and charcoal notes. What really strikes me, though, is how Márquez finesses these bold flavors, revealing just how versatile Mencía can be—both powerful and refined, with smooth tannins that reflect Bierzo’s minerally-rich terroir.

César has deep roots in Bierzo. He grew up in his family’s winery, Castro Ventosa, and honed his craft in Mendoza before returning home. In 2012, he launched his own project, exploring the potential of a Burgundy-inspired classification system in Bierzo. He worked with old bush vines around Valtuille de Abajo, home to some of the region’s most prized vineyards.

César lets the land and the grapes speak for themselves, using minimal intervention in the winemaking process. The result is stunning, especially for such a young project. His Mencías are fresh, expressive, and full of character, and his Godellos are equally impressive. It’s no surprise that critics, including Luis Gutiérrez of The Wine Advocate, have awarded this wine 94 points. For me, this is a wine that’s worth rediscovering.

Pretexto 2020 Tinto, Dao Regular Price: $34.99 Club Price: $ 29.74 Buy Now

The Textura Wines project began in 2018 when Marcelo Villela de Araújo and Patrícia Berardi settled down on the rocky slopes of Serra da Estrela to build a winery. Their focus was, and still is, to celebrate responsible organic viticulture, terroir-driven winemaking, and educational wine tourism. They started out by purchasing a smattering of small vineyards in the Dão. The first of which were located on the rocky, high altitude hill slopes of the Vila Nova de Tazem subregion with the rest located on the lower elevation clay and quartz beds of the Penalva do Castelo subregion. These vineyards are populated with varieties of grape traditional and indigenous to the Dão, and by way of careful conversion, all of these vineyards were certified organic in 2023. 

With the help of oenologist (winemaking expert) Luís Seabra and resident oenologist Mariana Salvador, Textura Wines sought to create wines with, “elegance, freshness, balance and great finesse” that “express, above all, the essence of the place from which they originate”. This tracks with Seabra’s direction as a viticultural leader within the Portuguese wine industry. In 2004 he famously kicked off Neipoort's dry table wine program, marking an end of the Port producer’s nearly exclusive commitment to fortified wine. Today, Luís Seabra continues to inspire young winemakers domestically and abroad with a philosophy of embracing low alcohol, minimalist intervention wines that derive varietal integrity and a strong sense of place. 

Left to right, Mariana Salvador, Patrícia Berardi and Marcelo Villela de Araújo

Pictured, Luís Seabra

The 2020 Textura Dão Pretexto Tinto marks a triumph of this philosophy. The principal varieties that comprise the wine are Jaen (also known as Mencía), Alfrocheiro, Tinta Roriz, and Toriga Nacional, with about half of the tonnage coming from Vila Nova de Tazem and half from Penalva do Castelo. Each variety is vinified separately in stainless steel before being blended and rested in both large and small format French oak barrels. 

2020 was a tricky vintage for the Dão, spring showers offered a reprieve from an otherwise very drought-heavy season, and the hot summer caused quick ripening. The resultant harvest was small, but with concentrated fruit and structure. The Pretexto is no exception. The fruit is reserved, dark and focused. Tart red cherry notes are followed by untamed vegetal aromas classic to the Dão. A line of persistent, grippy tannins run through the wine start to finish. Have with beef skewers, roast vegetables, and good company.