Case of Brezo Tinto 2024 | $33.00 per bottle

Old-vine Mencía with a teinturier backbone, from the western edge of Bierzo.

Producer: Bodegas Mengoba (Grégory Pérez)
Region: Bierzo D.O., Castile and León, Spain
Grape Variety: Mencía with a small portion of Alicante Bouschet (Grenache negro)
Viticulture: Lutte raisonnée; vines trained en vaso and en espaldera
$33.00 per bottle | $396.00 case of 12

The Vibe

Bierzo's reputation rests on Mencía's perfume, but Brezo Tinto is the version with shoulders. Grégory Pérez draws from Horta and Villafranca del Bierzo, then folds in a portion of Alicante Bouschet — a red-fleshed grape long co-planted in the region's older parcels — for colour and grip. The result sits closer to a peppery northern Syrah than to a light Atlantic red: fresh, but built for the table in winter. Fermented with wild yeasts in steel, aged on its lees in vat, no oak to get in the way.

The Taste

Inky purple in the glass. Cassis and raspberry on the nose with a curl of woodsmoke behind it. The palate is full-bodied and earthy, red fruit carried on a chewy, slightly grainy texture from the whole-cluster portion and the Alicante Bouschet skins. Savoury rather than sweet-fruited, with a finish that holds.

The Story

Pérez grew up in Bordeaux, where, as he puts it, every household has its own small winery. He was working vines at fourteen; his formative teacher was Guy Mallet at Château Lalande, who taught him pruning before oenology. After Blanquefort and stints at Château Grand Tuy Lacaste and Cos d'Estournel, he came to El Bierzo with Luna Beberide and stayed, founding Bodegas Mengoba to work only with the region's own varieties. Brezo is his entry range, drawn from small parcels across several villages — Mencía from Horta and Villafranca, with 90% of the fruit de-stemmed and 10% left in whole bunches.

Best Enjoyed With

Serve at 15–16°C, or with twenty minutes in the fridge on a warm evening. Built for robust stews, braised beef, chorizo and morcilla, roast pork, lamb, game, and hard sheep's cheeses.