INSIDER'S PICK: 2017 PEDRO RODRIGUEZ/GUIMARO 'CAMINO REAL' RIBIERA SACRA (Wine Advocate 92points) $27.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

The steep high altitude vineyards of Ribiera Sacra in Galicia are a hidden gem in the wine world, long overlooked as much of the wine here was made for home and local consumption, rarely built with an eye towards the international market. Though the terraced vineyards were established in Roman times (think Cote-Rotie in the Northern Rhone), the appellation did not exist formally until the mid-1990s, and there were very few established wineries to take advantage of the name. Pedro Rodriguez and his family was among the very first to take their family vineyards and establish the Guimaro winery (or 'adega' in the local dialect), and ever since have been a leader in farming and winemaking using traditional methods under modern standards. Camino Real represents their version of a 'field blend', taking fruit from several separate parcels planted to multiple varieties and combining them into one co-fermented wine. Mencia is the dominant grape, but as many as six other varieties are sprinkled amongst the rows. Fresh and savory on the nose with lots of earthy tinged dark berries that definitely show the influence from whole cluster fermentation, as well as on the palate with a very fine but firm tannin character that really amplified the earthy tones of the fruit. The presence of the other varietals is felt here as it has more flesh and texture to it than the usual 100% Mencia wines of the region (which can often be compared to a Loire Cabernet Franc), but is not thick feeling at all, indeed still quite nimble on its feet. A fantastic match with braised meats, full enough to stand up to fat and charred flavors without losing the ability to mix in with subtle herbs and vegetables.

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