Moncerbal 2021, 2020, 2019 y 2016

Crítica

2021 > 98 puntos
The ultra elegant, sleek and mineral 2021 Moncerbal has amazing freshness, ultra refined tannins and lots of complexity, with layers and layers of flavors and aromas and great depth. There is a sense of harmony here that is captivating—this is pure elegance. It is floral, perfumed and velvety with very fine, chalky tannins and a sapid finish. 4,463 bottles, 107 magnums and some larger formats were filled in December 2022.
2020 > 97 puntos
I find the 2020 Moncerbal a little more closed than the other 2020s, darker and serious. It's still moderately ripe, with 13.8% alcohol, sweet tannins and a soft texture. Today, it shows a little austere and very calm—it whispers. It's quite discreet. It was bottled in October 2021, during the 2021 harvest. This is already certified organic from 2020 onward. Approachable already. 5,000 bottles were filled in October 2021. These wines were usually bottled in January/February of the following year, so in 2020 they had a shorter élevage in barrel. The wines were ready earlier.
2019 > 98 puntos
The 2019 Moncerbal is a "vino de paraje," produced with grapes (mostly Mencía but also 4% white grapes) from different plots that totaled 1.51 hectares in the same zone of the village of Corullón. It fermented with some full clusters and indigenous yeasts in oak vats for 46 days and matured in oak barrels and foudres for 11 months. It's one of the lower-alcohol wines (together with the Corullón) at 13.5% alcohol. This is super aromatic and floral, with notes of violets and also white flowers with even a citrus touch. This is the showier wine of the 2019s, textured, long and gentle, with a great finish. It has changing aromas and flavors, mixing flowers, herbs, berries, earth and even a lactic touch sometimes. It should develop further complexity in bottle. This is a great vintage for Moncerbal, keeping the freshness and poise of the 2018 in a warmer year. They use less and less new oak barrels, contrary to what they thought they'd need with the new winery. 3,488 bottles, 101 magnums and some larger formats were produced in 2019.
2018 > 98+ puntos
The 2018 Moncerbal, a "vino de paraje," was produced from different plots in the same zone of the village of Corullón. It comes from seven small parcels that make up 1.74 hectares of 60- to 90-year-old vines on a slope with a south-southwest orientation at altitudes from 610 to 730 meters. It fermented with stems (every year they use a variable percentage of stems, between 10% and 30%) and indigenous yeasts (a constant here) in oak vats with a 70-day maceration, and it matured in oak casks of different sizes for 10 months. The winery describes it as juicy and crystalline, with the energy of the quartz that is intermixed with the slate and marble soils. This is a stonier and more austere vintage, mineral and tasty, with terrific balance, great precision and symmetry, detailed and precise, very focused and incredibly tasty. Like many of its siblings, this 2018 could very well be the finest vintage to date. There's not a lot of acidity; there's not a lot of tannin; there's not a lot of anything, but it's all there, all in place, with impressive depth, nuance and complexity. This is going to be a classic Moncerbal for the long haul. 2,103 bottles and some other larger and smaller formats were filled in December 2019.