Telmo Rodriguez 2019 Mencia "Gaba do Xil" 750ml

The entry-level red 2018 Gaba do Xil Tinto is mostly Mencía with some other grapes from the mixed plantings in old vineyards. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, where it matured for 12 months before bottling. This was a cooler vintage and went back to harvests from yesteryear. It was not an easy year, but the most successful wines are going to have good freshness. Here, I see more complexity than in the previous vintage; this is less varietal and goes more in the direction of the single-vineyard reds. There is ripeness but without excess, with herbal and spicy aromas and a notable finish.

Score: 91 points -- Luis Gutierrez, RobertParker.com, 2020