Akilia Villarín

I love the 2020 Villarín Mencía, a pale, translucent ruby colored red with notes of wet stones, flowers, wild herbs and small red berries. It's medium-bodied, with abundant, fine-grained tannins that make it nicely textured, tasty, dry and serious, and it has moderate ripeness, 12.5% alcohol and a long, dry and clean finish. It's all bones and muscle, no fat here. It comes from a one-hectare plot of Mencía planted 96 years ago on an east-facing slope on slate and quartzite soils. It's cold and austere. It matured in used 228-liter barrels after fermenting with indigenous yeasts in concrete. Only 540 bottles were filled in February 2021.

Tasted blind. Herbal, open nose and a touch of leather. This is a wine with enjoyable freshness and soft tannin. Sharp characteristic acidity and delicate texture. Nicely done, drinkable and pleasant. It is not a concentrated wine, the style of the wine is all about fluidity and drinkability. Very crunchy but aerial red wine.