Dark bright ruby colored, medium bodied, firm, tight, somewhat concentrated and coming across as a bit flabby, with black fruits with tones of spice, black olive, hints of cresote and tangy black cherry on the finish.
the last of 6 bottles, my original note from 2 years ago still applies (dry & tannic, coarse mouthfeel). Over the 2+ years, the only thing that has evolved is the fruit has faded a touch. But the body is still massive and coarse.
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This needed a solid hour or more to decant, though I still couldn’t tame the high alcohol (14%) and the oak. This wine overpowered all the food I tried to pair it with (olives, cheeses, tuna, red cabbage). I tasted big fruit up front (raspberries, blackberries), followed by spice, but the minty/bay leaf/laurel/pine/olive flavors dominated on the back palate. I thought this had too much acohol. I can see the attraction to Mencia, but this didn’t quite do it for me. Similar on day two.
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A friend brought this to our 12/11/11 Spanish wine tasting. It had an expressive bouquet of violet, black cherry, cranberry, mocha and spice aromas. The palate was rich and pleasant with flavors of black cherry, cranberry, mocha and spice.
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dry and tannic, this wine opened up after more than an hour. extremely full and coarse mouthfeel, to the point where the back of the palate almost feels like a solid rather than a liquid. flavors complex, especially on the midpalate. very nice wine.
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Absolument irréprochable, soyeux, long, encore beaucoup de fruit, n'est pas sans rappeler les vins du sud de la France. Je le coterais plus haut si j'y avais détecté un peu plus d'originalité. Bon maintenant mais tiendra la route au moins 5 ans de plus.
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A very nice fresh dark red fruit nose which gives a bit of a false impression as the flavors are much more restrictive. There is some good extraction here and i was hoping that with some more air this will soften, yet over the following few days it only got slightly better. There is a tight slightly austerity on the back end and on the finish that if it softens will make this a very nice wine. Yet I am not entirely convinced that it will have enough fruit richness to happen. Only time will tell
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12/18/2020 - OTTMJ Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stunning
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10/27/2016 - rmcnees wrote: 87 Points
Dark bright ruby colored, medium bodied, firm, tight, somewhat concentrated and coming across as a bit flabby, with black fruits with tones of spice, black olive, hints of cresote and tangy black cherry on the finish.
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/10/bodegas-y-vinedos-castro-ventosa-mencia.html
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7/9/2016 - 2015 Likes this wine:
With flank steak
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1/1/2013 - czar33 wrote: 88 Points
A perdu un peu de fruit mais quand même belle tenue en bouche, longueur.
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12/8/2012 - grayfont wrote: 88 Points
the last of 6 bottles, my original note from 2 years ago still applies (dry & tannic, coarse mouthfeel). Over the 2+ years, the only thing that has evolved is the fruit has faded a touch. But the body is still massive and coarse.
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10/24/2012 - jkscully wrote:
This needed a solid hour or more to decant, though I still couldn’t tame the high alcohol (14%) and the oak. This wine overpowered all the food I tried to pair it with (olives, cheeses, tuna, red cabbage). I tasted big fruit up front (raspberries, blackberries), followed by spice, but the minty/bay leaf/laurel/pine/olive flavors dominated on the back palate. I thought this had too much acohol. I can see the attraction to Mencia, but this didn’t quite do it for me. Similar on day two.
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12/11/2011 - garambler wrote: 90 Points
A friend brought this to our 12/11/11 Spanish wine tasting. It had an expressive bouquet of violet, black cherry, cranberry, mocha and spice aromas. The palate was rich and pleasant with flavors of black cherry, cranberry, mocha and spice.
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9/11/2010 - grayfont wrote: 89 Points
dry and tannic, this wine opened up after more than an hour. extremely full and coarse mouthfeel, to the point where the back of the palate almost feels like a solid rather than a liquid. flavors complex, especially on the midpalate. very nice wine.
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8/28/2010 - czar33 wrote: 90 Points
Absolument irréprochable, soyeux, long, encore beaucoup de fruit, n'est pas sans rappeler les vins du sud de la France. Je le coterais plus haut si j'y avais détecté un peu plus d'originalité. Bon maintenant mais tiendra la route au moins 5 ans de plus.
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10/5/2009 - hutch wrote: 90 Points
Wizards Trade Tasting (Warehouse): Funky on the nose. Delicious on the palate. Keeps on coming. tons of fruit. Impressive.
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9/20/2009 - bon vivant wrote:
A very nice fresh dark red fruit nose which gives a bit of a false impression as the flavors are much more restrictive. There is some good extraction here and i was hoping that with some more air this will soften, yet over the following few days it only got slightly better. There is a tight slightly austerity on the back end and on the finish that if it softens will make this a very nice wine. Yet I am not entirely convinced that it will have enough fruit richness to happen. Only time will tell
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