Vanessa

9.1

Ribeira Sacra is a breathtaking region in Galicia, Spain, where the pigmented grape ‘Mencía’ plays a key role in winemaking, producing beautifully perfumed & ambrosial reds.

Just close your eyes & imagine steep slopes plunging down into deep river canyons, with historic terraced vineyards perched along the hillsides, gently curving & weaving along and above the Miño and Sil rivers.

Hopefully this helps paint a picture of Ribeira Sacra’s spectacular terrain but it’s worth searching for actual images (if you’ve never seen it).

The term ‘heroic viticulture’ aptly describes the type of farming that takes place here, where vignerons must perform all vineyard tasks by hand, risking life & limb, to bring these unique and authentic wines to our tables.

This 2019 ‘A Ponte’ is a prime example, thanks to Pedro Rodríguez of Guímaro (meaning “rebel” in Gallego), named after his grandfather with a nod to the fiercely independent & self-reliant local identity.

This wine is made with 30% Mencía accompanied by local, heirloom varieties Sousón, Brancellao, Merenzao, Caiño Redondo, & Caiño Longo) grown on granite, slate and sand.

After harvesting by hand, the grapes underwent a wild ferment using 100% whole clusters, contributing to the fruit-driven profile. This wine was then racked into large (and old) Burgundian oak barrels for about 14 months and bottled without fining or filtering.

The result is gulpably delicious, balanced, & complex. It is overflowing with expressive notes of muddled strawberry, ruby red grapefruit, leather, raspberry, plum, blueberry, mulberry, rhubarb sauce, rooibos tea, violet, bacon fat, forest floor, black cherry, black forest cake, fennel, black licorice, anise seed, and wet moss.

On the palate, it’s dry with an energetic acid profile, soft & fine tannins, medium alcohol (13% ABV), overall medium body, & a lingering finish.

This wine tells a story of heroism, history, & place. Not to mention it’s a highly versatile food-pairing wine, which begs for a shared meal with loved ones. Cheers! — 3 months ago

with Deked1

annemarie burgess

9.9

With Nigel on par with cirtabla — 5 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

8.9

Vintage 2019 | from Baron Longo | 80 Cabernet Sauvignon 20 Merlot | dark colour with expressive smell, I smelled iron and metal, cherries. Good effort. — 2 years ago

edward Simpson

9.0

Pousada Tavira recommendation, packed full of lemons and lime, very good with fish, delish — 2 years ago

Renato Albuquerque

9.1

Cor rubra não muito escura, com um corpo denso de lágrimas lentas. Um bom aroma de frutas vermelhas com certa homogeneidade com álcool bem no fundo. Na boca é bem encorpado e de forte presença, tem uma acidez marcante e um rastro longo de madeira amarga e com sensaçãode caqui. — 3 years ago

Martinez

9.0

Fresh and aromatic blend of indigenous varieties Brancellao, Ferrol, Caiño Longo and Caiño from multiple terraced micro-vineyards - locally known as socalcos- planted on the steep, granite soils in Arnoia (Ourense). steep, granitic hillsides of Arnoia. Red fruit, some spicy notes. — 6 years ago

Vin d’Ottawa

9.1

A beautiful blend of Aragonez and Alicante Bouschet. Raspberry and juicy plum all over. Toes the line between a pop n’ pour and a nice vino. — 2 years ago

with Gillian

Klaus Denecke Rabello

9.2

Envelhecido 6 meses em barrica de carvalho francês, guarda um tom rubi profundo com corpo redondo e abundantes frutos pretos, taninos suaves e especiarias que vão se revelando ao longo do final equilibrado. Aroma de groselha, chocolate amargo e sutis notas de eucalipto. — 3 years ago

Evandro Pereira

9.4

Está mais pronto do que imaginava: fruta “clássica”, longo e com uma textura deliciosa — 4 years ago

Tiago Barelli

9.6

Vinho com parcela de uvas centenárias. Uma hora e meia de decanter revela os aromas do vinho. Muito corpo, denso. Final longo e persistente. Excelente vinho. Entrou nos meus favoritos. — 6 years ago