2009 Guímaro "B2M" Mencía Ribeira Sacra

SKU #1090008 91 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2009 B2M is pure Mencia. It has an intense bouquet with raspberry, black olive and earthy aromas that are beautifully defined. The palate is medium-bodied with superb acidity. Very elegant, very composed, and showing a stunning delineation toward the finish, it lingers seductively in the mouth with black olive and a touch of pepper lingering on the aftertaste. It needs a few months to resolve itself, but this is a Ribeira Sacra that is full of character. In 2001, Pedro Manuel Rodriguez Perez took the helm of Bodegas Guimaro from his father and grandfather, who have all been instrumental in the rejuvenation of abandoned terraces in Ribeira Sacra. His friend, Raul Perez (no relation), uses the facilities to make his El Pecado, a wine that has been rated highly by my predecessor. The family owns eight hectares of vineyard in the sub-region of Amandi and controls another 12 hectares owned by other growers. These are succinct expressions of elegant, refined cool-climate Mencia that effortlessly combine Mediterranean ripeness with Loire-like pepperiness. (2/ 2013)

K&L Notes

Anyone who is not familiar with the heights which can be achieved with Mencía grape in the steep, granitic slopes of Ribeira Sacra, need not look any further than Guímaro for one of the most compelling expressions around. There has been some confusion in the past about the producer's two higher end bottlings, B1P and this one, the B2M. While B1P comes from the El Pecado vineyard, and always has a signifcant portion of whole clusters included, B2M comes from a nother terrific vineyard, Meixemán. This year, for the first time with this cuvee, 30% whole clusters were used and the wine is all the better for it: big, spicy, sweet dark cherry aromas lead to a delicious palate of succulent dark fruits and chai spices. Bold and rich, as the 2009 vintage dictates, but with so much delicious, stunningly pure fruit. Highly recommended. (Joe Manekin, K&L Spanish Wine Buyer)