Bodegas Virgen del Galir Los Carismaticos Merenzao 2018
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Robert
Parker
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Los Carismáticos is the tale of a recovery of a not-very-appreciated variety, Merenzao, whose wines the local old folk talk about as the mostsavory; and the one they chose to vinify at home for their own consumption. Los Carismáticos is more delicate than other reds from this region and is made with limited extraction and intervention. Its profile is not at all exuberant. It is also known in Valdeorras as Godello Negro, andelsewhere as Trousseau or Trousseau Noir
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Los Carismáticos is a rare Merenzao (Trousseau) bottling from a small 0.3-hectare plot in the zone of As Ermitas planted 50+ years ago on decomposed granite soils. The grape used is also called Bastardo, María Ordoña or Godello Negro locally, and there are no more than 5,000 kilos produced in the whole appellation. It fermented with full clusters in open-top 500-liter oak barrels, where it matured for 10 months followed by three months in concrete. This is a different zone from Éntoma where they have their main vineyard, this is the Bibei Valley, where the soils are granite. This is a bright ruby color, translucent and with a perfumed, floral and delicate nose, quite varietal, a little ascetic and serious, with a fresh, herbal side to it. The palate is intensely mineral and has fine-grained, chalky tannins. This is a delicate variety with thin skins, so you have to be careful with it. 2018 was a challenging year, but for the reds, it seems to be behaving quite well. As they are fascinated by the variety, they are planting some more...
The Virgen del Galir winery is located in Éntoma, a small village in Orense. It has been part of the CVNE family since 2018. The Galir Valley falls under the Valdeorras DO (designation of origin). The winery’s philosophy is to make wines that reflect the values of the land whilst respecting local traditions. This begins with the winery’s name, a tribute to Our Lady of Galir, the protector of the region’s vineyards.
In recent years, several vineyards have been replanted and recovered in the Galir and Bibei Valleys to produce a complete range of villa (“terroir”), parcela (plot of land) and gran cru wines. The white wines of Virgen del Galir are made with grapes from the Galir Valley, an area with a lot of slate and vineyards at high altitude. The red wines are harvested from vines grown on granite soil, from plots in the Galir and Bibei Valleys.
The Virgen del Galir team is young and dynamic, closely linked to the environment and traditions of this place, with extensive knowledge of the area. Miguel Tienda and the oenologist Jorge Navascues are responsible for heading up the team and contribute their extensive experience in the wine sector and their great ideas to a project with a promising future.