"Germán Blanco’s La Nave bottling is absolutely stellar in 2024. As I have noted before, this is not truly in the D.O. of Bierzo, as this parcel of very old vines lies just outside of the boundaries. The vines are more than eighty years of age now and planted to a field blend that is principally Mencía, but with plenty of supporting characters also planted here. The wine’s aromatic constellation delivers scents of sweet dark berries, cassis, espresso, a wisp of tree bark, dark soil tones, cigar smoke and just a touch of oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and nicely sappy at the core with old vine fruit, with fine soil signature and grip, buried tannins and lovely balance on the long, focused and complex finish. This is outstanding Bierzo Mencía, no matter what the official boundaries might say! It is nicely ripe for a 2024, coming in at 13.5 percent octane and will age splendidly. 2035-2075. "