September 19, 2021 - Nose better than in the mouth. Nothing wrong, just undistinguished.
June 27, 2021 - Much more integrated over a year ago. A bit too generic for a good Rioja. Fruit-forward, medium bodied wine. Better with food.
July 29, 2020 - agree with others -- funky at the start. By the second night it was a much better wine. The score reflects that experience. Hard to rate this one, though. Have some more bottles...
December 15, 2015 - Some crazy funk the first day - set it aside for 2 days and it was drinking much smoother, with rounded fruit and no funk. Funny wine - would only buy again for when I had the patience to leave it open for a couple days...
November 4, 2014 - Initially opens promisingly with intense cedar and bramble berries. Strangely moves in a feral chicken-coop direction with air. Kind of like a low/mid range Mourvedre, funky without complexity or finesse. Not unbalanced on the palate, but somewhat flat. A real tooth stainer despite having moderate tannic structure. A bit over-worked perhaps?
June 11, 2014 - Having tapas at Eboca in Madrid.
Plum compote, a terrible dense mermelade on the nose.
No a single trace of elegance that Mencia possibly treasures.
Palate is almost undrinkable. Who really needs this?
Tamando tapas en Eboca en Madrid.
Compota de ciruelas, en nariz es una mermelada densa.
No hay ni una traza de elegancia de la que posiblemente atesora la Mencía.
En boca es casi imbebible. Poco digestiva. ¿Quién necesita realmente esto?
November 19, 2013 - Clear and bright, deep ruby with inky legs. The nose is clean and youthful, with medium+ intensity aromas of raspberries, ripe strawberries, red plums, liquorice, yogurt, coconut, vanilla and cedar. It's dry in the mouth with a refreshing medium+ acidity, medium+ tannins, medium+ alcohol, full body and medium+ intensity flavours of red plums, strawberries, liquorice, cedar and vanilla. The finish is of medium+ length. It's a very good quality wine, with a good balance between acidity and fruit concentration and a lingering finish, but it could have more complexity, and the oak aromas are not well integrated. Drink now, but has enough acidity, tannic structure and fruit concentration to develop more complexity in the next 3-5 years.