Antoine Graillot and Raul Perez Encinas 2018

Sale $29.99

94 pts Wine Advocate / 93 pts Wine & Spirits

Extremely limited supply.

Antoine Graillot is the son of legendary Northern Rhone producer Alain Graillot. As Wine Manager for his father’s estate, no doubt he has his hands full. So what is he doing in Bierzo? The same thing everyone else is – looking for a chance to learn from one of the greatest winemakers in the world, Raul Perez. This wine represents a true collaboration, with each offering their input and style to the wine. It’s pretty cool stuff, showing a different side of Mencia. I would decant for a few hours before diving in… but take the plunge! There is more than a little similarity to Graillot’s Crozes Hermitage wines, of which the comparable level will set you back $80 or so…

“The concept of this project to apply both Graillot and Pérez techniques to the terroir of Bierzo. Antoine’s contribution was fermentation in cement vat, a practice that fell out of favor in Bierzo a generation ago but is still used by the Graillot family in Crozes-Hermitage. The vat he purchased for this project actually wouldn’t fit through the door of Raúl’s winery, so they had to remove a section of the roof in order to lower it in by crane. In addition to providing local knowledge and access for the grape purchases, Raúl also encouraged Antoine to leave the wine on the skins for an extended period of time after the whole cluster fermentation was complete, when it went from cement to a large foudre for another ten months of aging. The grapes come from three different sites in the northwest quadrant of Bierzo, one of which is the Rapolao vineyard in Valtuille de Abajo, a site that is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the finest in the appellation.” Importer note

“From granite and clay soils, the reductive 2018 Encinas fermented in concrete and matured in an oak vat. The reduction should eventually go, but it gives it an old-time Cornas profile. Mencía is quite reductive and it shows here. But the palate is superb, especially in the cooler and fresher 2018 vintage. The wine has stuffing and freshness, and the traditional, somewhat rustic profile should turn into a beauty in bottle.” Wine Advocate


Or reply. The wine is available now in Chapel Hill. Friday, as ordered, in Hillsborough.