Ladeiras Do Xil Gaba do Xil Mencía 2021

Gaba do Xil comes from Valdeorras, a landlocked mountainous region of Galicia, in north-west Spain. The vineyard, in the Ladeiras do Bibei sector, rises in terraces between 400 and 600 metres above sea level, on metamorphic slate and red granite. Native grape varieties have been grown here since Roman times, and the climate produces wines with a northern profile, fresh and refined.

The Mencía is harvested from several terraced plots, whose blend finds its balance even in a dry vintage. After vinification, the wine is aged for twelve months in stainless-steel tanks, without oak, to preserve the freshness of the fruit and the spicy character brought by the slate.

This wine reveals notes of violet, blackberry, blueberry, blackcurrant, black pepper, clove, smoke, warm slate. The style is spicy and peppery, with a smoky touch from the sun-warmed slate. On the palate, the black berries are lifted by frank acidity and light tannins, for a juicy, thirst-quenching character.

The history of wine in Spain is so ancient that no one really knows who first brought the vines to the region. By the time the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was already well established, and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a winemaking miracle. After years on the sidelines of the world of fine wines, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often high in alcohol), and spicy reds that are gaining popularity with international consumers. Proud to have more land dedicated to vines than any other country, Spain is only now beginning to capitalize on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is a chaotic jumble of regions and subregions, much like its landscape is a chaotic jumble of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity among Spain's many wine regions, from the lush, green vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the parched vineyards of the southeastern Mediterranean. Spain's saving grace for viticulture is the average altitude of its vineyards, which is over 600 meters. Many Spanish vineyards are thus able to produce grapes with good color and acidity simply because nighttime temperatures are relatively low and the grapes don't ripen until after a sufficiently long growing season. But there is a real treasure trove to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all sorts of ambitious investors have done their part to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun to craft spectacular wines and experiment with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.