Casar de Burbia Mencia 2021

Having always heard that Spaniards eat late, I operated under the assumption that 8 pm was late. So when we arrived in the Valtuille de Arriba – the last Roman outpost before Galicia in ancient times – at 11 pm, I assumed we’d go straight to the hotel. Not so! Instead, we were to make our introductions to the hardest-working man I’ve ever met in the wine business - Isidro Fernandez.

A passionate man, and a charming one as well, Isidro was about to be up for his third day straight because we were managing to execute the incredible faux pas of meeting a winemaker for a professional tasting right during harvest. But to Isidro, this was no problem. In his nearly single-person winery he pulled out all the stops, tasting us on his magical Spanish Mencia wine while feeding us dinner.

Very early the next morning, the magic continued. He took us up into the Valtuille de Arriba, a valley at the edge of Bierzo, just before the trip over into Galicia, or Green Spain. In ancient times, Romans knew this valley very well. It was the last stopping point of the Empire before the horrendous and century-long blood bath that would eventually result in the conquering of Galicia. In modern times, you may also know of this valley, if you’ve heard of the Camino de Santiago. The Camino runs through the valley, and indeed right through Isidro’s vineyards. Once, when asked if birds feasting on his deliciously ripe grapes were a problem he responded “no – the pilgrims eat more.”

Most assuredly, there is a good reason to eat these grapes. Maybe it’s the enchantment of a being on a pilgrim trail traversed daily by hundreds contemplating the wonders of life, or maybe the grapes taste really darn good. But in either case, as Isidro led me around his meticulously hand-harvested vineyard early that morning, I could sense the marvel of his creation – the wine your about to taste:

Mencia (pronounced Men-thee-ahh) can be a bit of a Cabernet-like chameleon. Meaning that Cabernet from Napa Valley doesn’t taste like Cabernet from Bordeaux. One is more fruit driven and tends to have lush oak aromas. The other is more graphite driven and with a savory fruit note. Here, in the Valtuille de Arriba, Isidro’s Mencia leans more to the Left Bank Bordeaux side of taste, Pauillac if you will – a note of dark berry fruits, currants, blackberries and plums are backed up with notes of black earth, pencil lead, and graphite minerality. The palate opens with a flush sense of fruit, but there is a beautiful verve and energy across the midpalate. It has enough fruit weight to be truly seductive to any drinker as a cocktail, but enough character to profoundly enhance a meal, whether that be a simple plate of jamon, olives and Marcona almonds, or roasted lamb with a rosemary crust and smoked garlic potatoes.

While you have may not have heard of Isidro or Bierzo or Mencia, others have. I have been buying and selling Bierzo for years and watched as the prices skyrocketed. Many a gorgeous Spanish beauty has suddenly catapulted to a luxury brand. Indeed, standing with Isidro in his vineyard, I remarked how I’ve sold his neighbor’s wine – spitting distance away – for $120 a bottle. And I almost did spit when Isidro told me the price of his wine! This wine competes at such a high level beyond its price point, I couldn’t help but sputter at the ridiculously low price he chooses to charge.

Not only is Isidro one of the hardest-working vintners I have ever met, he is one of the most honest and honorable as well. Here is your outstanding invitation to taste a great Bierzo wine, at a price I couldn’t believe.