2020 Luis Rodriguez Ribeiro tinto - Eidos Ermos

Luis Rodríguez is a man of many names and many tiny vineyard parcels in the Ribeiro region of southern Galicia, very near Spain’s border with Portugal. He is the universally-acknowledged maestro of this storied cool-climate wine region (it rains a lot in Galicia!), making stunningly elegant, fresh yet age-worthy wines from a raft of local white and red varieties, most of which aren’t found outside of Galicia.

“Eidos Ermos” in Galician means something like “barren fields”, which describes the rocky, infertile soils of decomposed granite with sandy topsoil - inhospitable to most crops but perfect for grapevines. This wine is a blend of the local red varieties brancellao, caiño, and ferrol, fermented in stainless steel and aged in steel and used barrels for a year. 13% alcohol. The nose has herbal, leafy, and floral tones (lovers of Loire reds, take note!) alongside dark fruit. In the mouth, the wine is juicy yet tart, with a buzzing, vibrant acidity. Imagine biting into a sour plum while sitting on a slab of Sierra granite. Drink it with charcuterie, pork preparations of all kinds, or even fattier fish dishes.