'Falcoeira' Single Vineyard Mencía 2020

Falcoeira is an ancient vineyard whose terraces were established by the Romans 2000 years ago, abandoned after phylloxera. Described by Telmo as producing “wine with two balls”, it’s a hot, steep, south-facing, slope and is hell in summer (up to 55 degrees Celsius. There are 2.75 hectares, of which 1.9 were re-planted in 2009. It’s a predominately red grape vineyard (0.4 hectares of Godello), planted to a mix of 70% Mencia, with Merenzao, Garnacha Tintorera, Caiño, Souson and others. 

Falcoeira is worked by horse and has virtually no soil, as such: a crew of 5 workers can only plant 500 vines/year by hand in the stone (granite, with a little quartz and clay). Winemaking is simple, as with As Caborcas, always looking to promote freshness and harness the expression of site. ‘A Capilla’ means facing to the chapel, referring to the ancient church below the village of Santa Cruz at the southern end of the valley. A Capilla also refers to the lower section of Falcoreira, in particular – historically where the best wines of the valley came from. 

Intensely mineral with a deep driving ironstone line: the nose takes you all the way in - Jules Verne deep. Along the way, bracken, ripe orange rind, moss and soft velveteen red fruit radiate. Round and nearly mid-weight, it fans out gently over the journey, sweetly vegetal fruit flowing over rich, plush granite-lined tannins towards an arrowhead finish. The amazing ‘tannin’ line is a thread emanating from the rock and earth of the place.