Lousas Viñas de Aldea
2023
Region
Spain › Vino de Mesa
Type
red · still
Grapes
Palomino Fino, Brancellao, Mencía, Godello, Field Blend, Gran Negro, Mouratón, Alicante Henri Bouschet, Trousseau
Alcohol
12.5%
Volume
750 mL
Tasting Notes
Beautiful on the nose - perfumed, with a mix of red fruits, graphite, and fried sunflower seeds. But on the palate, painfully green. Almost hurts to drink today. The potential is clearly there, though. Just needs years. Put it away.
About
Envínate's Ribeira Sacra wines, from steep slate-terraced vineyards along the Sil and Miño rivers. The 2023s are sold without appellation of origin (Vino de Mesa). Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate, 95 points) calls the 2023 vintage "perfumed, intoxicating and showy," noting a floral dried rose petal character and a flinty smokiness. Possibly Envínate's finest collection to date.
Field blend: 80% Mencía, the rest Brancellao, Merenzao, Alicante, Grao Negro, Mouratón, Godello and others, sourced across Amandi, Quiroga, and Ribeiras del Sil (gneiss, slate, granite). Picked between September 1st and 23rd. Fermented with 70-100% full clusters in concrete or plastic bins. 30% of the volume remained in concrete, the rest matured in used barrels (225-500L) for 11 months on lees without racking. 31,150 bottles and 329 magnums produced. Bottled November 2024.
2023 vintage context: rainy winter, normal spring, heavy June rains complicated vineyard work. Late-August heat wave (peaks of 41°C), then more rain during September forced multiple picking interruptions. Despite the difficulties, the wines turned out floral, fragrant, and fine-boned.
