Abadia Da Cova, Cepa Vella, 2025

Ribeira Sacra Mencia at its juicy, gulpable best. Abadia da Cova farms steep granitic terraces above the Sil and Mino rivers in Galicia's most dramatic wine country — slopes so vertiginous the locals call it heroic viticulture. Cepa Vella draws from 15-to-40-year-old vines and rests briefly in tank, capturing Mencia's signature lift: violet-tinged red and black fruits, a wash of wild herbs, that almost balsamic edge that makes Atlantic-influenced Mencia such a thrill at the table. Medium-bodied, savory, alive with acidity, and built for the kind of dinners where a second bottle goes down embarrassingly fast. A perfect entry to one of Spain's most exciting appellations.