Envinate 'Lousas Vina de Aldea' Tinto

'Lousas' is the local Gallego word for slate. It's a name that's used to group Envinate's three wines from Ribeira Sacra and a nod to the soil, or more accurately the rock that marks each of these wines. 'Vina de Aldea' translates roughly as wine of the village. It's a blend of several plots from the Amandi, Quiroga, and Ribeiras do Sil subregions of Ribeira Sacra. Mostly Mencia, with about 15% of an array of other local varieties (Merenzao, Caino, Garnacha Tintorerra...) that's been fermented in small lots, parcel by parcel with indigenous yeasts and then kept in a variety of barrels and concrete tanks for 12 months without racking. Vina de Aldea is a beautifully expressive version of Ribeira Sacra, hedonistic, open and vibrantly fresh. Not quite as nuanced as the single vineyards that it accompanies but in terms of sheer drinking pleasure it's absolutely magnificent.