2023 Envinate Lousas Parcela Camino Novo Mencia

Lousas is the name Envintate has given to their wines from Ribeira Sacra, translating to slate and a nod to the rock that marks these wines. Each of their Lousas releases are predominantly Mencia, along with a smaller component of various indigenous varieties such as Merenzao, Caino, Garnacha Tintorerra, and Palomino among many others.

Vina de Aldea is a blend of several plots from the Amandi, Quiroga, and Ribeiras do Sil subregions of Ribeira Sacra. Doad meanwhile hails from different terroirs throughout the Galician town of Doade, is Mencia dominant with the remaining 15% a field blend of various varieties. Rosende is sourced from a single vineyard from a village of the same name, and the soils here are similar to the Northern Rhone with granite crystals flecked through the sand. Finally the single vinyard pair of Seoane and Camino Novo perched on the edge of the River Sil, each featuring vines over 80 years old. While similarly located these two are very different in style, Seoane being the more lifted, elegant and immediately attractive, whereas Camino Novo is more brooding and often one of the most profound Mencia in the area.

Other Reviews....
The nose of the 2023 Lousas Camiño Novo has all the flowers, wild herbs and red berries and is as intoxicating, perfumed, showy and nuanced as the Seoane and Rosende but with a flinty and smoky note and a step up in nuance, complexity and depth, which puts it in a different category level. The palate is seamless and solid, with fine-grained tannins and great precision and length, very clean and focused. It even has some stony austerity on the palate. This comes from an 80+-year-old plot at 350 to 450 meters above sea level and a south exposition planted with 85% Mencía, 12% Alicante Bouschet and 3% other varieties on gneiss soils, harvested the 7th of September. It fermented with 100% foot-trodden full clusters with 25 days of maceration and matured in neutral 228- and 500-liter oak barrels for one year. It comes in at 12.8% alcohol and perfect balance. This has to be the finest Camiño Novo and their finest wine from the region so far. Bravo! 1,560 bottles produced. It was bottled the 14th of November 2024. Drink 2025-2035.
99 points
Luis Gutiérrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate