Where in the world is Bierzo? And what the heck is Mencia?

It's only fair to begin with answers to the questions posed in the title of this post.  Bierzo is not some foreign place that produces beer; instead, it’s a wine-growing area in the northwestern portion of Spain.  And Mencia is not some organization for Spanish geniuses; it’s a grape that is now gaining attention in the wine press.

In the world of wine, just as in many other fields, there are trends.  In the 1980’s, everyone was drinking Chardonnay.  Then, when red wines became the new hit, lots of people were drinking Merlot, whose (usually) gentle tannins allowed white wine drinkers to make the transition from white wine.

The film Sideways convinced everyone that Merlot was passé, and pointed consumers in the direction of Pinot Noir.  At about the same time, Shiraz from Australia, which had structure but also sweet tannins, took off.  In the last six or seven years, Malbec – with even more structure, but some of the same sweet tannins as Aussie Shiraz, became the wine of the moment. 

Wine critics, of course, are always looking for The Next Big Thing.  Lately, many critics and publications are trumpeting the virtues of Bierzo, and its primary red grape, Mencia.  I tried one from Palacios, one of the early exponents of this area, a couple of years ago, and was intrigued enough to come back and see what was happening lately.  Let’s see if the preliminary hype is justified…

A big and somewhat syrupy red

 2012 Descendientes de J. Palacios Petalos (Bierzo, SP):  Profoundly deep plum.  Cherry cola syrup and blueberry scents come forth at first, with some herbal and menthol notes added as the wine aired.  Blueberry notes persist on the palate, with drying tannins.  Very well-made, and not without interest, but something’s missing.  There doesn’t seem to be much doubt that this is a ripe wine – but the tannins lack the sweetness of modern-style wines.  The attack is full of fruit, but then the wine levels out through the mid-palate and the finish.  Rather than gaining in complexity, it plateaus, and ends up being a bit less interesting than you think it’s going to be.  Not at all bad, and certainly something that an adventurous wine-drinker should try. 

**1/2 - ***

A spoonful of sugar might help the medicine go down...

2010 El Agosto Mencia (Bierzo, SP): Again, profoundly dark plum.  Big iodine on the nose, followed by scents of herbal liqueur.  Later, big walnut aromas emerge, along with a strong component of coffee and tiramisu.  The slightly medicinal quality follows through on the palate.  As with the Palacios, the wine is well-made and seems ripe, but once more, there’s something missing.  Once again, the mid-palate and finish deliver less than the attack promises.  The wine flattens out rather than blossoms.  It starts out as something that seems as if it’s going to be fascinating, and then goes nowhere.  As before, intrepid wine-lovers should give this a try, just so they know what’s going on in this corner of Spain. **1/2 - ***

So these are not negligible wines, but I have to confess that I can’t go along with the critical wave on this one -- at least not yet.  These wines are quite substantial in color and body, and they’re not without some distinctive features.   There is absolutely fruit up front, but then…not much.  There’s a flatness to the palate that leaves me wanting more.  I’ll revisit Bierzo in the future as more examples become available in the USA.  For now, however, although the power and simplicity of these wines has a certain appeal, this varietal still has to show more to win over the Voyager.