MCF Rare Wine

NEW WINES from LAURA LORENZO!!

Sorry, I know this is the second offer of the day, and, really, I try not to ever do two in a day, but this one's too hot to let slide before the shelf gets robbed of these gems!

Given the near mythical status that the Daterra wines of Laura Lorenzo have achieved in the last year, I would think that an all-caps headline saying 'New Laura Lorenzo' would be enough to make you reply 'yes please', but as these are two new selections that I've never offered, I suppose a little verbiage is appropriate.

Laura, our Main Lady in Galicia, has crafted two gloriously delightful wines here and you don't wanna miss 'em.

Please note that I might have to allocate the Casas de Enribe, as there is so little!

ALSO JOSIE FROM MFW WILL BE HERE TONIGHT FROM 6-8 TO POUR TASTES OF EACH FOR YOU LUCKY LOCALS!

DATERRA VITICOLTURES (LAURA LORENZO)

PORTELA do VENTO 2016 $30/btl
Here we have a beautiful blend of Mencia 90% with Garnacha Tintorera 10% that pretty much captures every nuance you could ask for from Mencia, but in a wine that is, texturally, so light on its feet you might not believe what you just drank as you sit there and ponder the incredibly long finish.  The fruits are light and red initially, but quickly the touch of Garnacha makes itself known as things take a turn for the darker.  On the palate, there is a near-perfect push-and-pull between the airy, deeply-savory/animale notes of the Mencia and the chewier, berry-packed Garnacha.  You honestly won't believe that a wine this dainty can have a finish this long and complex.

CASAS de ENRIBA 2016 $30/btl
This is quite possibly the coolest wine from Spain I've had this year, and that's saying A LOT given what Laura (and Goyo Garcia and Envinate and Bermejos, etc.) have done already.  I say so because it's 90% Mencia and 10% Godello (yes, Godello the WHITE grape).  Reminiscent of a classic Cote Rotie, there is a little bit of the local white grape added to the mix here to add a bright, floral note that plays so well against the deeply savory personality of the main red grape.  It also adds a bit of roundness to the texture, as well.  The end result is a totally delicious and mind-bending red that, like the Vento above, packs as much complexity and intrigue into a waif-like package as possible.  The flowery white fruit of the Godello eases you in and slowly gives way across the palate to the savory, mineral/iron/pepper/animale nuance in the finish.  It's almost like this - if Cote Rotie were a song, this would be the Gypsie Kings' Spaniard-ized rendition of it.

Matt Franco