2022 Limited Addition Mencía
Out of stock
Grape Varietal: Mencía
Country: USA
Region: Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon
The Wine: Limited Addition is the project of Australian-born Master of Wine Bree Stock, founded on the conviction that Oregon's Willamette Valley could — and should — grow far more than Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, working with organically and regeneratively farmed growers to establish a diverse portfolio of alternative varieties suited to the region's changing climate. The Eola Springs Vineyard Mencía comes from the only planting of the variety in the Willamette Valley: a nearly two-acre block grown on the highest and rockiest volcanic ground at Eola Springs, positioned in the throat of the Van Duzer Corridor where strong afternoon winds extend the growing season and sharpen acidity. Four Mencía clones are planted here. The 2022 was fermented half destemmed and half whole-cluster with foot treading in the early days, no additions in cellar, native yeast throughout.
The 2022 Eola Springs Vineyard Mencía is a vivid, cool-climate red that earns every comparison to the granite hillsides of Ribeira Sacra while tasting unmistakably of Oregon. It opens with aromas of crushed blueberry, dried rose petal, and smoked paprika, lifted by a current of volcanic minerality and fresh thyme. On the palate, it is lithe and aromatic, with fine-grained tannins, snappy acidity, and a savory, almost meaty mid-palate that resolves into a long, peppery finish.
Pairing: Lamb merguez with harissa and flatbread, roasted beet and lentil salad with aged sheep's milk cheese, mushroom and leek galette with fresh herbs, or a slow Sunday of braised short ribs eaten straight from the pot with a torn baguette and nowhere else to be.
