Verónica Ortega is a transplant from Cádiz, in Andalucía, whose enchantment with the northwestern Spanish grape variety mencía drew her to Bierzo. She has been making her own wines since 2012. Bierzo is a wine region in Castilla y León, near the border with Galicia, that’s best known for powerful, mountain-grown mencías. But this wine shows that the area can make lighter, fresher mencías that still retain a sense of the place. 'Quite' is from 90-100-year-old organically-grown vines with a short maceration (5-7 days) and aging of about 7 months in large barrels.It has brambly dark-berry fruit with cooling menthol and mineral tones. There is a restrained earthiness on the palate, with a bit of the trademark elegant ruggedness that Bierzo lends to mencía: powerful structure without too much weight or alcohol (13%). It would be lovely with a hearty caldo gallego (con o sin carne).
