2021, Dolio F. Algueira, SPAIN

A red from Ribeira Sacra (Sacred Riverbank) in northwest Spain - resuscitating old Spanish varieties - a blend of Mencía, Brancellao, Merenzao, Caíño et Sousón.

Sweet cherries with dried plums and incense. Lovely clarity and focus on the palate, this has a lifted frame with savoury edged balsamic strawberries and wet stones. Clearly very mineral. Mouthwatering acidity gives the lift with so much salty salinity around. Sea breeze. A lovely effortless take, so easy to drink and like. Ends crisp with salty stones in the mouth. Perfectly balanced and interesting. 3.7-hectare vineyard. Owner and winemaker Fernando González Riveiro. 2025 - 2039
96 Georgina Hindle, Decanter.

The 2021 Dolio is the third vintage of a cuvée of 45% Mencía, 25% Sousón, 15% Brancellao, 7.5% Merenzao and 7.5% Caíño selected from two of their vineyards, Carballocobo and Cortezada, with each grape providing something and the blend of all is better than each separately. The full clusters were foot trodden and fermented in a tronconic oak vat, and part of the destemmed grapes was added and fermented together with indigenous yeasts and matured in 225-liter barrels and 2,000-litre foudres for 23 months. I kept it in the glass for a long time, and the wine opened up beautifully. Their aim is to produce a long-lived wine. 2025 - 2033.
95 Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate