At Bodega del Abad we started out on our journey in the world of quality wines with our 2000 vintage. We soon placed our wines on a market in which the mencía variety was already present. Yet we knew we were dealing with a truly different variety, distinct from the tempranillo grape which was then the focus of attention in view of its large presence and its diversification in Duero vineyards and other Spanish wine regions. This was our real challenge: claiming a place at the tasting table with a singular grape – mencía – that fills a wineglass with a different aromatic series, structure and sensory experience.
Our Carracedo wines soon made their way among others bearing the hallmark of the mencía grape, assisted by a criterion of ageing in wood which rather than masking the grape helped to extend its life, achieving a magnificent balance.
Today the mencía variety grown in El Bierzo receives outstanding scores from opinion leaders and specialist critics. So our reds, made wholly from mencía grown in our vineyards, have obtained high ratings such as a silver medal for Abad Dom Bueno Laderas del Norte at the latest Virtus International Awards, two 2018 Zarcillo gold awards for Tesín de la Campana and Carracedo, or a gold medal at the 2018 CINVE fair for Abad Dom Bueno Laderas del Norte.
Mencía is undoubtedly in fashion, but it’s a fashion confined to the north-west of Iberia, and there lies its value: differentiation. Standing out in a world of tempranillos, garnachas, monastrells and cabernets by showing distinct personality in the wineglass.
But not all mencías are equal. Their character depends on their youth, their suitability for ageing and, chiefly, their soil, giving wines mineral traits and nuances as in the case of our mencías made from goblet-pruned vines growing on well-oriented slopes within the Bierzo plateau.
For all these reasons we recommend trying red wines made from the mencía grape, including our Abad Dom Bueno Mencía, Abad Mencía Laderas del Norte, Carracedo and Tesín de la Campana, which will certainly not disappoint, allowing you to enjoy a character that is unique on the Spanish quality wine market.