PRICE-DROP: Bodegas y Viñedos Merayo Aquiana Mencía 2017

What is the magic of mencía? Two things: perfume and power. Bierzo’s indigenous variety is celebrated by one of the regions best wineries, Merayo; and ‘Aquiana’ is outstanding. Love great wine? Well friend, here it is. A truly captivating and serious ‘show-off to your friends’ kind of red. From a single vineyard with the aroma similar to a classic left-bank Bordeaux, with the elegance of a Margaux, but imagine the chef just added a sprinkle of pepper, a squeeze of crushed cranberries and gently pressed raspberry juice. The silky, practically velvety tannins are there, and they are splendid. While this is drinking excellent right now, it should also continue to evolve beautifully over the next few years. This is a solid home run in our books, Mofo.