Unculín

One of those noses that make your knees buckle a tiny bit. Raspberry cheesecake? Spine-tingling purity. Just a tiny tiny bit on the wild side, but only just. This wine is like that soft kiss on the lips from your love that sends an electric shock through your whole body. wild strawberries picked so ripe and warm from summer sun that they almost melt on your fingers and you have to lick them off. And then, right at the end, cool wet slate and graphite minerality. But you’re so seduced by the fruit that you barely notice it.

The 2021 Unculín is now a vino de villa from Valtuille de Abajo and is labeled as such. This is the entry-level red from over 100 separate plots, old vines normally planted with a Mencía field blend, mainly on stone and clay soils. It fermented with some 15% full clusters and matured in stainless steel, finishing with a couple of months in foudre. This is a young wine that is characterful and a bit wild, with notes of ink, berries, flowers and herbs. It has moderate ripeness, 13% alcohol and a tender, silky and balanced palate. 40,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2022.