Appellation: none
Cuvée: A Senda Vermelha
Colour: Red
Grapes: Caiño and Mencia in varying proportions according to the harvest
About: a new wine for 2020, and a red! From local grape Caiño and Mencia grown in the Rias Baixas, giving just 10 to 11%, it’s lithe, and super refreshing, but with typical Nanclares complexity, nuance and reserve of aromatics and structure.
Vines
Location: from five plots from 4 growers, in Barro, Cambados, Vilanova and Portas, near the sea.
Size ha: 2.
Age: planted between 1930 and 2000.
Soils: granitic with some sand.
Exposition: south-west and west.
Altitude: up to 50m.
Training: pergola.
Farming: organic.
Average yield hl/ha: 40.
Climate: Atlantic, cold in winter, hot in summer, likelihood of fog and humid conditions all year.
Winemaking
Hand harvested, with a selection in the vineyard, moved to the winery in 15kg crates. Whole bunches foot-trodden in tank and barrel. Ferments in 60% large oak barrels and 40% in inox, 21 days on skins. Pressed and returned to same vessels to age on lees 20 months and 9 months. Natural yeasts, no additives except a light dose of sulphites. Bottled without clarification or filtration. Aged in bottle 10 months before release.
Vintage Notes 2017/18 (20% / 80%)
Yield hl/ha: 20
Harvested:
Bottles produced: 3,900
Date bottled: 2019-08
Alcohol %: 10.50
SO2 Total: 80
Tasting: from tank after blending tank and barrel 2018-12, loved it, medicinal, licorice, rose, plum, caramel aromatics, palate is thrilling, super vibrant, high acidity, yet intense and balanced, vegetal red berry fruit, peppery, earthy, umeboshi, clean, persistent. Very fine structure. A winner.
Vintage Notes 2019
Mencia is 84% of this year’s blend.
Winter was warm and dry, the vines hardly rested. Spring was up and down, with mildew pressure. The summer cool, August rainy, ending not. Early harvest. Another difficult year.
Harvested: between September 2 and 28
Bottles produced: 2,600
Date bottled: 2020-08
Alcohol %: 11,3
SO2 Total: 48
Vintage Notes 2020
Another complicated vintage where the winter was wet but not cold. Budding took place very early but was accompanied by warm and wet weather causing heavy mildew attacks. The summer was hot and dry until 10 days of rain in August followed by an early harvest.
Contains 10% Espadeiro, another local grape.
Harvested:
Bottles produced: 2,600
Date bottled: 2021-07
Alcohol %: 11,3
SO2 Total: 46
Tasting: 2022-07-28 – crunchy, some fat, gentle vegetal tannins, super balance, quite rich despite low degrees, quite Pinot esque, peppery, cola drinking.