Ultreia Mencía 2021

The regular 2021 Ultreia red plays with the advantage of being sold later, so they are still selling the 2021, which was a cooler year than the 2022, the vintage I tasted for the rest of the range. However, I notice some earthy rusticity and some iron-like notes, licorice and leather. It comes from the zone of Ponferrada, and the wine shows austerity. It had a long maceration and a longer time in barrel, during which time it developer a layer of flor yeast. It is from a plot that struggles to ripen, and the wine is always low in alcohol, consistently the lowest in the range. This is certainly different, but I find it a little difficult with high rusticity.