A pure, terroir-driven red from Envínate, the adventurous Spanish collective founded by four oenology friends committed to low-intervention winemaking and expressive site character. In Ribeira Sacra, where steep slate and granite slopes rise above the Sil River, the wine is made mainly from Mencía with a field blend of indigenous varieties, fermented with native yeasts and aged in neutral vessels to let the vineyard speak. The 2023 vintage shows wild red fruit, floral lift, herbs, and a stony edge, with a juicy, finely textured palate, lively acidity and a savoury mineral finish that honours both the rugged Galician landscape and Envínate’s authentic, place-focused approach.

The bottled 2023 Lousas Viñas de Aldea is perfumed, intoxicating and showy, with a floral note of dried rose petals that I also found in the Misturado from this same vintage. It's a blend of grapes, 80% Mencía and the rest a field blend of reds and whites, Brancellao, Merenzao, Alicante, Grao Negro, Mouratón, Jerez, Godello, etc., and zones, Amandi, Quiroga and Ribeiras del Sil with lots of gneiss and also slate and granite, depending on the plot. The grapes were picked between the first and 23rd of September, a very long harvest because of the rain. It fermented with 70% to 100% full clusters in concrete or plastic bins, and 30% of the volume remained in concrete and the rest matured in used barrels of different sizes, from 225 to 500 liters, for 11 months with lees and without racking. There's also a flinty smokiness that gives the wine a different twist. It's stunning and incredibly priced. There were 31,150 bottles and 329 magnums produced. It was bottled in November 2024. 95 Pts, Drink 2025-2032 - Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate