Ribeira Sacra

CSW is carrying some of the Rebeira Sacra wines now. I ran across this thread trying to find out something about them, and figured I may as well revive it.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
CSW is carrying some of the Rebeira Sacra wines now. I ran across this thread trying to find out something about them, and figured I may as well revive it.
Click to expand...

CSW sent out an email last year with a very good discussion of D. Ventura and Ribeira Sacra. Dunno if it's archived on the website, but makes for good reading if it can be located.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:

originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:

CSW is carrying some of the Rebeira Sacra wines now. I ran across this thread trying to find out something about them, and figured I may as well revive it.
Click to expand...
CSW sent out an email last year with a very good discussion of D. Ventura and Ribeira Sacra. Dunno if it's archived on the website, but makes for good reading if it can be located. Mark Lipton
Click to expand...
Not sure if by "last year" you meant "last week," but there was this:

http://www.chambersstwines.com/Article.asp?id=488

Ah. Sorry. Little more digging brought this, indeed from last year:

http://www.chambersstwines.com/Article.asp?id=400
 
originally posted by MLipton:
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
CSW is carrying some of the Rebeira Sacra wines now. I ran across this thread trying to find out something about them, and figured I may as well revive it.
Click to expand...

CSW sent out an email last year with a very good discussion of D. Ventura and Ribeira Sacra. Dunno if it's archived on the website, but makes for good reading if it can be located.

Mark Lipton
Click to expand...

Chris Barnes, who is doing Spanish wine there now, is completely solid. Looking for real wines, it seems. Worth listening to what he has to say, IMO.
 
Menca, like cabernet franc, can produce light fragrant wines or more structured, ageable ones. It's a matter of terroir and climate, not of variety. Ribeira Sacra is notably cooler than Ribeiro, with which it shares similarly schistous slopes. I don't think the more powerful wines necessarily reflect a search for an 'international' style (which some of them do, no doubt), and they can be as true to their origins as lighter wines such as, say, D. Ventura can be to their own ones.
 
originally posted by VS:
Menca, like cabernet franc, can produce light fragrant wines or more structured, ageable ones. It's a matter of terroir and climate, not of variety. Ribeira Sacra is notably cooler than Ribeiro, with which it shares similarly schistous slopes. I don't think the more powerful wines necessarily reflect a search for an 'international' style (which some of them do, no doubt), and they can be as true to their origins as lighter wines such as, say, D. Ventura can be to their own ones.
Click to expand...

Victor, I seem to recall some discussion of a close relationship between cabernet franc and mencia, has that been established?
 
originally posted by VLM:
Victor, I seem to recall some discussion of a close relationship between cabernet franc and mencia, has that been established?
Click to expand...

I seem to recall Victor and I talking about this elsewhere (Therapy?) and I think the evidence shows no direct link to cabernet franc.
But let's see if Victor can confirm that.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
originally posted by VLM:
Victor, I seem to recall some discussion of a close relationship between cabernet franc and mencia, has that been established?
Click to expand...

I seem to recall Victor and I talking about this elsewhere (Therapy?) and I think the evidence shows no direct link to cabernet franc.
But let's see if Victor can confirm that.
Best, Jim
Click to expand...

That's my recollection of the discussion as well, Jim. But let's wait for Victor or someone else with actual knowledge to chime in here.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
originally posted by Florida Jim:
originally posted by VLM:
Victor, I seem to recall some discussion of a close relationship between cabernet franc and mencia, has that been established?
Click to expand...

I seem to recall Victor and I talking about this elsewhere (Therapy?) and I think the evidence shows no direct link to cabernet franc.
But let's see if Victor can confirm that.
Best, Jim
Click to expand...

That's my recollection of the discussion as well, Jim. But let's wait for Victor or someone else with actual knowledge to chime in here.

Mark Lipton
Click to expand...

I'm no expert and I'm certainly not Victor, but almost everything I've read about Mencia going back several years mentions that DNA testing has proved that it is not Cabernet franc (including articles in the Times and other sources). But I have never seen this DNA test itself cited in any way that satisfies the little scholar in me. And the issue is apparently confused because of the presence of plantings of actual Cabernet franc in Galicia and because Cabernet franc in Galicia is also called Mencia. But again, this all secondhand knowledge. I would welcome clarification.
 
Carole is busy making (very good) syrah these days...

Strictly no genetic relationship between menca and cabernet franc (or any other member of the Biturica/Carmenet family, a.k.a. Bordeaux varieties.) The genetic research carried out by the El Encn lab in Madrid (same group which identified the origins of Argentina's torronts) does suggest, as some elements in both varieties' DNA suggest, some relationship in the distant past between menca and grenache - but not enough yet to ascertain if one of the two might be the grand-parent of the other, or any other specific type of kinship.

If you can read Spanish, this may be of interest: this site contains the best up-to-date DNA info (including synonyms and homonyms) on Spanish grape varieties, and quite a few international ones, although with some glaring absences (e.g., the intriguing maturana tinta):

Loading…

www.sivvem.monbyte.com
 
but Bierzo...

Anyone had any experience with the Abad dom Bueno wines? They make the only locally available Mencia. Curious if there's any experience with them out there. (I see a pair of notes in the archive for the record for the mencia, but none for the Godello.)

Cheers,

Kevin
 
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