Pagos de Posada: The Dance of Time in a Bottle
In the heart of Bodegas Estefanía, a legendary winemaker with wise hands brings to life a wine treasure: Pagos de Posada. This Mencía, from century-old vines, rests on southwest-facing slopes at an altitude of 650 meters. There, the wind performs a constant ballet, imparting remarkable health to the grapes.
The result is a masterpiece that defies time. The extraordinary conditions of these ancestral vines ensure regular ripening, almost independent of temperature variations and the hardships of the weather. When tasting, we encounter smooth and silky tannins, typical of the Atlantic style. Intense aromas of coffee, rosemary, and low woods dance harmoniously on the palate, revealing a complex, round, and meaty character. A long and elegant finish, like a well-written poem.
Pieros: The Elegance of Centuries
From the oldest vines, some over 117 years old, Pieros is born, another treasure of Bodegas Estefanía. Situated between 700 and 800 meters above sea level, this Mencía benefits from air currents that provide a beneficial sanitary effect to the vines. Again, the skilled hand of the master winemaker shapes a wine that challenges conventions.
The deep red color, with hints of garnet, signals the richness to come. Aromas of roasted coffee, tobacco leaves, and rosemary captivate the senses. In the mouth, a dense and meaty depth leaves an extraordinarily fresh sensation for a wine of such age. Powerful and complex, with mineral notes evoking charcoal and iron.
Time as an Ally: Wines from 2017 and 2015
These wines are special because, unlike the rest of the market, including the best and most recognized Bodegas, they have vintages in the market from 2017 for Pagos de Posada and 2015 for Pieros. In other words, wines crafted by a master of the region, with high-quality barrels and an interpretation that respects the terroir and biodiversity without much intervention, can enter the market after a long bottle aging. For this reason, they are at a level of tasting much more balanced and with more tasting maturity, providing much more pleasure by making it easier to establish a harmonious relationship between the taster and the wine.
We can escape the irreverence of youth, but still with vigor and nerve very much alive. Therefore, we have a more positive experience without having to pay more for it because the public selling price is very competitive when compared to similar qualitative levels and without the appropriate aging. I understand that capital injection is needed by the producers, but in my opinion, the wines show much more with some bottle aging and in a more mature phase.
And so, this producer managed to seduce me with the interpretation of patience and courage to wait for the wines in the cellar to release them at the right stage for a better tasting experience, living up to the motto "Slow Enology" that we can read on the labels and in the producer's message. For all this, I suggest that the wine world, when wanting to taste the magnificent region of Bierzo, remembers this kind producer.
Producer: Tilenus Estefania
Enology: Raúl Pérez
Text: Miguel Viana Vinhos