Thursday, May 24, 2007

2005 Luna Beberide Mencia



I opened a bottle of the 2005 Luna Beberide Mencia ($14) from the Bierzo region of Spain. Bierzo is an up and coming region of Spain and the Mencia varietal is the primary grape in this region. I have had several Mencia wines before and enjoyed them, especially those of Dominio de Tares. So, what of this wine?


It had a fruity nose, reminiscent of darker berries, and its color was darker as well, though not inky. You still could see through the wine. As you taste it, there is a rush of fruit, tinges of blueberry and blackberry, with a hint of a floral taste. It is medium-bodied with a lush feel. What an inspiring beginning. But, on the finish, it seemed a bit too tannic and bitter. At least for drinking alone. This wine probably needs to be accompanied by food. It is not as good as the other wines from Bierzo I have had but it is still a good wine. Just serve it with dinner.

2 comments:

Gabriella Opaz said...

Great start to our June Virtual Tasting of DO Bierzo. Out of curiosity, we tried the 2005 Dominio de Tares Baltos last night and found that the wine completely changed over the course of the evening. What started as bitter and flabby in the beginning rounded out to a good wine. What the time frame of your tasting it? Did you do several tastings over the night, or did you save some for today to try again?

Cheers,
gabriella

Richard Auffrey said...

Hi Gabriella:
I had shared the wine earlier in the evening and did not have any left for a later time. Maybe I will try it again and let it sit for a time.

I have always been a fan of the Dominio De Tares Balto, though I have generally found it good from start to finish.

Could the bitterness be part of the Mencia grape, that it sometimes needs time to mellow out? I have not had that many Mencia wines so it is hard to really know.

Take care