2019 Dominio Do Bibei Lacima

Wine from the Ribeira Sacra region. The winemaker is Domino do Bibei which also produces Lapola, Lapena and Lalama wines. The wines are picked from vines that are between 50 and 100 years old!! The Mencia grape is often found in the Bierzo region, where beautiful wines are made with old vines. But almost all 'insiders' agree that the magical combination of the noble Mencia grape and the dramatic terroirs of the Ribeira Sacra provides fireworks. The Lacima offers a similar aromatic and flavor profile, but with a little more of everything. It has a beautiful scent, elegant, and is concentrated. Hard to resist. This is without a doubt one of the most beautiful Mencia wines and can compete with many Burgundies with which this wine has many similarities.

95/100 Parker

The Ribeira Sacra region is located in inland Galicia in northwestern Spain. The terraces were built by the Romans. The steep vineyards run directly down to the Sil river, which provides cooling. The soil here is stone with little building land. The most widely planted grape variety is the Mencía. Dominio do Bibei is located in the DO Quiroga-Bibei, a subzone of the DO Ribeira Sacra. Like the entire area, here too you will find a spectacular mountain landscape with steep walls that follow the river. However, the DO Quiroga-Bibei is even drier and rougher than the other subzones. Javier Dominguez has decided to restore the once grand vineyards here:

DOMINIO DO BIBEI

The domain measures 125 hectares, of which 45 hectares are currently planted. The old terraces are being restored and will therefore be planted. Javier works from austerity and respect for the history of the country. He engaged the well-known wine consultants Sarah Perez and René Barbier to work together to find the best way to achieve the result he had in mind. He does not work with stainless steel tanks but with wooden and cement tubs, with a view to rediscovering what was already there. Winemaker Laura Lorenzo has similar ideas. For example, she follows many of the ideas of biodynamic viticulture to get the purest possible expression of the terroir.
The terraces have old Mencía, Garnacha, Brancellao and Mouratón vines. The new vineyards are planted with sprouts from these old vines. In addition to the red varieties, Godello, Doña Blanca and Albariño have been planted in white. The vineyards are all very different due to their location and soil type, slate, granite with clay here and there.