La Fontiña de Nai
This century-old vineyard lies next to an old spring that once supplied water to the cattle in the neighbouring meadows. "A fontiña da nai", in Galician, became "La Fontiña de Nai" in our grandparents' speech: a tribute to the way people in El Bierzo talk, somewhere between Spanish and Galician.
- Grape
- 100% Mencía from our own vineyards in Valtuille de Abajo, El Bierzo
- Winemaking
- Traditional, 50% whole stems
- Ageing
- 12 months in French oak barrels
- Harvest
- By hand, selected in the vineyard
- Vine age
- Century-old
- Alcohol
- 14%
- 2020 vintage
- Bottled in January 2022, 1,100 bottles of 75 cl
The vineyard
La Fontiña de Nai comes from a single plot in Las Villegas. Its clay and river-stone soil supports a lively, biodynamic growing environment with regulated, sustainable yields from century-old vines. Set on a flat plot next to the meadows of "El Friscal", it brings fine, mineral nuances while keeping Mencía's characteristic fruit.
Harvest and winemaking
The 100% Mencía grapes are harvested by hand in September, selected in the vineyard, in 20 kg crates so that whole bunches reach the winery.
The grapes are destemmed, and the ripest stems are selected and added whole to the 2,000-litre tank. After a few days of cold maceration, it ferments spontaneously with native yeasts and daily pump-overs to keep the tank homogeneous.
Malolactic fermentation takes place slowly in used 225-litre barrels, where the wine ages for 12 months with several rackings to clear it of lees and sediment. It is bottled in January and rests undisturbed in bottle for a few months before release.
Tasting notes
- Cherry red with garnet rim.
- A medium-high intensity Mencía with notes of candied wild berries: a powerful, aromatic wine with hints of vanilla.
- Complex, with sweet fruit flavours and powerful structure. Long finish with dry but ripe tannins.