May 2025 Crianza Club

Joaquín Rebolledo 2024 Mencia Regular Price: $21.99 Club Price: $18.69 Buy Now

What happens when tradition, risk, and passion come together in a single bottle of wine? You get something deliciously unforgettable—like this Mencía from Joaquín Rebolledo, which instantly became one of my new favorites. I'm super confident you'll love it as much as I do, so we've brought in a little extra for the shop shelves! 

Rebolledo began his winemaking journey back in 1978 with a bold mission: to preserve and reimagine Galicia’s old native vineyards. At the time, his decision to graft with Godello and Mencía was considered a daring move, but has since earned him international acclaim. 

• 90 points Guía Peñín
• Gold Award in Galician Wines guide
• Gold Bacchus (Unión Española de Catadores International Competition
• Gold Baco (Spanish young wine competition)
  

The Rebolledo family home goes back more than four generations, and they’re still deeply rooted in tradition. Each barrel is carefully aged in a 200-year-old cave known as “La Mina,” where the wine rests surrounded by mineral-rich aromas. The estate itself is located in A Rúa (a picturesque municipality in the province of Ourense) Galicia, and spans nearly 100 acres of steep, slate- and granite-covered slopes along the Sil River, This is what gives this wine a real sense of place, transporting you straight to the rugged Terraces of Galicia?

is made from 100% Mencía grapes from the property's vineyards i n the heart of Valdeorras, At first glance, you’ll notice a deep cherry-red color with subtle violet edges—very pretty. The aroma is full of ripe forest floor berries like blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, and cassis, with delicate floral hints of violet and elderflower, a touch of cocoa, and a whisper of slate-like minerality. It tastes fresh, smooth, and easy to drink, finishing with a long, fruit-forward finish that makes you want another sip right away, and at just 13% alcohol, it’s light enough to enjoy any night of the week.
I had it the other night with a wild mushroom and caramelized onion tart. The wine’s fresh, fruity flavors balanced the sweetness of the onions perfectly, and the earthy mushrooms just clicked with the wine’s rustic characteristics. It all came together pretty naturally. 

Carmelized Onion Gallette-NYT

Máximo Abete 2023 “Tres Partes” Garnacha Regular Price: $18.99 Club Price: $16.14 Buy Now

Our May 2025 Crianza Club selection takes us back to April 2024. Doesn’t that feel like a lifetime ago? Trump’s trial was underway, under a gag order no less. The New York Times ran headlines questioning his lawyer’s credibility as cover-up allegations spilled into public view. Student protests erupted across Ivy League campuses. Biden signed off on a $95 billion foreign aid package. The country buzzed with tension, noise, and fractured narratives, but I'd take any of those over what we're getting now.  But I digress...

Far from the above mentioned headlines, in the Guerinda Mountains of Navarra’s Baja Montaña in April 2024 something quieter and nicer was maturing: the 2023 Tres Partes Garnacha from Máximo Abete—a wine rooted not in chaos, but in continuity.

The name Tres Partes refers to the three people behind it: sisters Yoanna and María Abete, daughters of the winery’s namesake, and María’s husband, Juanma Apellido. The Abete family has been at it for decades—starting with Máximo and Blanca, who opened a wine shop in the ground floor of their home in San Martín de Unx shortly after their daughters were born. As the sisters put it, “There was always a smell of wine in the background.” That same down-to-earth, joyful energy radiates from their work today.

Máximo Abete is a true family affair—sisters, husbands, friends. They make serious wines, but never take themselves too seriously. Their goal? Honest, expressive wines with a strong sense of place and a lightness of spirit. They’ve inherited not just their father’s cellar, but his philosophy: to keep learning, stay curious, and never make wine that feels corporate.

We featured their Casalasierra Garnacha last April—a light, almost rosado-style red that split opinion. This year, we wanted something more direct: a true red. Originally, we aimed to bring in their Graciano, but recent member feedback nudged us toward a lighter, juicier, lower-alcohol pick—something suited to warmer days and outdoor glasses.

The 2023 season was shaped by the tail end of a long drought, but a welcome dose of June rain allowed for the season to finish with ripeness and balance. Fermentation was spontaneous with native yeasts, kept cool to preserve brightness and limit extraction. Aging took place entirely in concrete, with no oak to cloud the fruit, and no additives—only a touch of sulfur at bottling.

The result? Fresh, lifted Garnacha with notes of raspberry, wild strawberry, and a herbaceous twist—likely from the thyme and native flora that grow between the vineyard rows. It’s the kind of red that makes you want to pour a second glass before the first one’s gone.

And yes, the white wax on top?  Let’s call it the button that activates your personal time machine. Press it, uncork, and be transported—back to a moment, forward to a mood, or simply deeper into a good glass of wine made by 3 good people.