The name Valdeorras usually conjures up images of white wine and, probably, the Godello grape variety. However, this small region in Galicia is also capable of producing extraordinary red wines with less popular local grapes as well as with the delicious Mencia grape commonly used in the neighbouring Bierzo appellation.
The Valdesil winery has been making this wine for almost 30 years. What at first may have seemed a risky decision, is now a consolidated and well-loved red wine. The richness of a variety of Mencia grapes growing in the Sil valley in vineyards at different heights and with different orientations, together with the bluish slate and shale soils and an Atlantic influence on the climate give this wine its character. The vines are between 10 and 30 years old and look out over the spectacular landscapes from heights of around 500 metres.
Grapes are harvested by hand and carefully selected before undergoing a cold maceration process to obtain the most delicate aromas from the grape skins. The must is then fermented with wild yeast in open steel tanks. The wine does not spend any time at all in wood, but is transferred from tank to tank during months to remove any deposits and to maintain its fruitiness.
It is quite clear in the glass, and immediately offers intensely fresh aromas and fine smoky hints. Cherries and violets seduce the nose while its wild acidity leads the wine through the mouth, leaving behind a fine touch of cocoa and ash after every sip. Elegantly spicy (cloves, white pepper, cinnamon) and earthy, it is a round wine with stylized tannins, a lingering aftertaste and a mineral (saline) intensity making it a wine with a surprising complexity for this price. Pure typicity.
