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Algueira Pizarra 2011 750ml

size
750ml
country
Spain
region
Galicia
WA
93
WA
93
Rated 93 by Wine Advocate
The 2011 Pizarra is named after the soils (pizarra is Spanish for slate) where the Mencía vines are grown. As the volume is higher than for other reds, the clusters of grapes were foot trodden in 2,000 and 5,000 liter troncoconic oak vats with indigenous yeast and transferred to 225 and 600 liter barriques for 14 months aging. The nose shows ripe fruit and hints of malt (Islay whisky?), decayed violets and some spices, really showy and intoxicating, very perfumed and attractive, like the best Mencía can be capable of. The palate is medium-bodied, with a special suppleness and tastiness, very fine-grained tannins and moderate acidity, surprisingly fresh for the grape and the warm vintage. Great Mencía, as good as it gets. 7,000 bottles were produced.
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Algueira Pizarra 2011 750ml

SKU 753719
Out of Stock
More wines available from Algueira
750ml
Bottle: $59.93
Simply, unique. It needs a lot of aeration before tasting, otherwise it can show some rusticity due to some...
DC
98
JS
96
More Details
Winery Algueira
barrel

Vintage: 2011

The year 2011 was an interesting year for many northern and central European countries, as the weather was more than unpredictable in the spring and summer. However, in most countries, the climatic conditions thankfully settled down in the late summer and fall. The result of this slightly difficult year of weather in France was a set of surprisingly small yields, but overall, these yields were of a higher quality than those harvested in certain previous years. A fantastic set of wines was also made in Italy and Spain, and the Rioja wines - when released - are set to be very good indeed. Austria also had superb year in 2011, with almost fifty percent more grapes being grown and used for their distinctive Gruner Veltliner wines than in the year before. Possibly the European country which had the finest 2011, though, was Portugal, with wineries in the Douro region claiming this year to be one of the best in decades for the production of Port wine, and the bright, young Vinho Verdes wines. In the New World, the Pacific Northwest saw some of the best weather of 2011, and Washington State and Oregon reportedly had a highly successful year, especially for the cultivation of high quality red wine grapes. Chile and Argentina had a relatively cool year, which certainly helped retain the character of many of their key grape varietals, and should make for some exciting drinking. South Africa had especially good weather for their white wine grape varietals, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and many South African wineries are reporting 2011 as one of their best years in recent memory.
barrel

Region: Galicia

The northern Spanish wine region of Galicia is a fascinating one indeed, and is most definitely a wine region to keep your eye on today and in the near future. Once an important center of viticulture and wine trade, Galicia suffered from a huge and devastating economic depression in the 19th century, leaving many of the vineyards untended and useless. However, the 20th century saw various organizations pour money into Galician wine making, thus rebooting the wine industry of this relative wet and windy region on the Atlantic coast. Today, the region is being celebrated for its superb and flavorful blended white wines, made from native grape varietals such as Albarino and Caino Blanca, and is continuing to rebuild itself and regain former glories.
fields

Country: Spain

For over two thousand years, Spain has been responsible for much of Europe's wine production, making the very best of native grape varietals, and more recently experimenting with and perfecting wines made from imported grapes. Of course, the region of La Rioja is renowned world-wide for the quality and characteristics of its wines, which benefit greatly from the warm, dry continental climate of the area, and the fertile soils of the Ebro river basin. However, there is far more to Spanish produce than the complex, aromatic and earthy red wine of this region, as a result of the vast range of wine making traditions and practices, and terrains and climatic conditions found across the country. The region Castilla y Leon produces some of Europe's finest white wines, and the sparkling wines of Cava and the sherries of Jerez are firm favorites for wine lovers around the world.