Decanter 97
Anyone who has ever seen photographs of the steep slopes of Ribeira Sacra will wonder how it is possible to produce a wine like this in our Value category - but here it is, dark, fresh and thrillingly aromatic from first sniff to last swallow. This limpid, unoaked wine is made from the Mencia grape variety (known as Jaen in Portugal) plus a little Garnacha and Souson, and the emphasis is on its sloe, bramble and damson fruits in all their primary glory, almost as if it had been run from the vats just a week or two earlier. The palate is soft-textured, mouth-filling, exuberant and comely, structured more prominently by acidity than tannin, though that acidity is sweet and juicy in its own right. There is nothing at all sharp or hard about this tender, almost lip-smacking red yet the variety itself, and the legacy of its austere, granite-soiled origins, somehow contrive to stop the wine tasting simple.
by Decanter, DC, 2021.

Tasting notes
Cherry red wine with violet intensity of bright intensity. A beautifully balanced Menca with raspberries and blackberries with light notes of licorice. Round and complex with soft touches of tannin providing a persistent finish.

Description
Matilda Nieves Menca from Ribeira Sacra in Northwestern Spain is a Decanter Best In show and Top 50 worldwide from the 2021 Decanter World Wine Awards! In-stock and ready to ship, Touton is the exclusive US importer for Matilda Nieves. Ribeira Sacra is a trending region and gaining in popularity due to its recent accolades and supply shortages in other regions. Its an ancient wine region with visually stunning, terraced vineyards carved into the steep slopes rising from its rivers. Round and complex this is a delicious wine at an incredible price.

Matilda Nieves Menca is crafted by the prestigious Bodegas Rectoral de Amandi winery. Commissioned by the famous local artist Pablo Guerreo, "We try to transmit the magic and elegant spirit of Menca from the Ribeira Sacra. The mystery of a territory where the forest is a constant presence." All grapes are hand-picked, macerated and fermented with native yeasts, in contact with the skin of the grape for 15-20 days in stainless steel tank. Stabilized and bottled, thus obtaining a wine rich in aromas and complexity.

The label features a wood fairy on her swing, surrounded by the idyllic forests of the Ribeira Sacra, she leaves behind a tail of flavors evoking the unmistakable nuances of Menca. The wine is named after one of the founders granddaughters, Manolo Arnoya, and made at the Rectoral de Amandi winery.