F. Algueira : Carravel 2019

This shows aromas of dried flowers with an earthy, ferric element. Medium- to full-bodied with a juicy profile and an elegant finish. This comes from a single vineyard planted in Amandi in schist soil. This is mostly mencía. Drink now or hold.

100% Mencía. Vineyards in Doade (Sober, subzone: Amandi). Low-yielding vines (3,000 kg/ha), 30 years old, planted on slate soils at 200–500 metres above sea level. The bunches were partially destemmed and crushed, the other part trodden by foot. Spontaneous alcoholic fermentation in stainless-steel vats. Aged for 24 months in French oak barrels of 225 litres and foudres of 2,000 litres. 11,000 bottles. Tasted blind. Well balanced, although in an evolved style of Mencía. It shows forest floor and sweet spices, balanced with the fruit. A Mencía aiming for a classic style with a generous oak presence. Very toasty, with the sweetness from the oak coming through over the fruit. Algueira is better known and well regarded for making a fresher style; here the intention was to show a wine enhanced by the presence of oak and ageing. (FC)

I find the 2019 Carravel relatively ripe and oaky compared with the rest of the portfolio I tasted. It's Mencía with some 10% other local varieties, fermented destemmed in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in 2,000-liter oak foudres and barrels of different sizes for two years. It's smoky and spicy with notes of ripe berry fruit, quite straightforward. The palate is medium to full-bodied with some tannins and oak flavors resonating in the finish. It has 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.6 and 5.5 grams of acidity. 11,120 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2024.