Pittacum Val de la Osa Mencía 2017 (Spain) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is this lovely Mencía from DO Bierzo in Spain that is brand new to the LCBO, arriving on shelves across the province today as part the April 29th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

It is produced by Viñedos y Bodegas Pittacum, one of four member wineries that make up Grupo Terras Gauda. Present in four of Spain's principal wine regions, Terras Gauda has established itself as one of the Spain's top winemaking groups. Their main objective is to produce high quality wines with unique personalities, using noble varieties grown in ideal conditions, and vinified according to the area's tradition and crafted with the most advanced technology and the utmost care.

Acquired by Terras Gauda in 2002, Viñedos y Bodegas Pittacum is located in Arganza, a town with a longstanding vine-growing and winemaking heritage, and nestled in the beautiful landscape of the Bierzo. The Denomination of Origin Bierzo is located in the northwest of León province, in the north western part of Spain. Bierzo covers 18% of the total surface area of the province borders the provinces of Orense, Lugo, Oviedo, and is in an area of transition between Galicia, León, and Asturias. The Bierzo is a series of small valleys within this mountainous area, while the lower Bierzo is a vast and flat depression, and each area determines the crop types.

Since Pittacum first opened, it's mission has been to create wines with personality and bearing a unique stamp, without losing sight of the hallmark features of the Mencía variety and the local area and climate. They are committed to wines of personality, reliability, and quality.

The area where Pittacum is located has a very special micro-climate - its mild, calm, and rather temperate climate is regulated by a humidity similar to the humidity of Galicia. It also boasts the dryness of Castilla which helps maintain water balance. Situated at low altitude, this prevents late frosts on the whole, which also makes it mild enough for early grape harvesting that generally takes place a month earlier than the rest of Castilla and Rioja.

The soils in mountains of Bierzo are a a mixture of refined elements, quartzite, chalks, while in the lowland areas of the valleys the soils are enriched by the continuous benefits of the soil on the slopes. The vineyards in the Bierzo region are situated primarily on damp black and slightly acidic soils, and as such lack the carbonates typical of humid climates. One of the defining factors for the quality of grapes is their location. As such, the vines are situated on slightly inclined terraces closest to rivers, on semi-terraced slopes, or in vineyards with pronounced inclination and at altitudes between 450 and 1,000 metres.

To craft their wines, they use grapes from their own 5 hectares of excellent old vines, as well as sourcing the finest old vine grapes (between 50 and 80 years old) from growers in different parts of Bierzo while monitoring their development all year round as scrupulously as in our own vineyards. The Pittacum project is based on the Mencía (Men-thee-ah) variety, a rare grape variety with great potential that is only grown in two places: northwestern Spain and the northern half of Portugal.

Crafted with 100% Mencía, the Val de la Osa is born out of an ancient vineyard and land where the Mencía variety has been grown for centuries. It is a wine that speaks of the land and the conditions in which it was grown and the vines taken care of. The Mencía vines were grown on sloping, well-drained, moderately fertile, deep-seated, loamy-soil terrain. The grapes were harvested from 60+ year old vines and carefully destemmed and sorted, bunch by bunch, on the sorting table. It was fermented in temperature-controlled tanks for 20 days and then aged for 12 months in 1-year-old French oak barrels. Let's see how this 2017 Mencía from Bierzo is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

PITTACUM VAL DE LA OSA MENCÍA 2017 - Old vines, enclave singular, DO Bierzo, Spain (#31200) (XD) - $28.95
From 60+ year old vines, this 100% Mencía has intriguing earthy black mineral aromas which are joined by black and blue berry fruit, plus touches of violet, black plum, olive, and spice adding complexity to the bouquet. On the medium-full bodied, dry palate it offers lovely black and blue fruit, earthy black mineral, spice, and violet replays on the flavour profile. It's supported by fresh, bright, acidity and smooth, well-structured, and fine-grained tannins. Savoury minerals with black and blue fruits linger on the long, balanced finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 91+ pts

Other lovely wines by Pittacum can be ordered through their Agent - Eurovintage Wines & Spirits.