Galicia


Details
Belated happy new year—2020 and the Year of the Rat. Which means it’s time for the fifth annual Chinese dinner, this time at Peking Duck House on Mott Street. The wine theme this year is wines of Galicia, the cool-climate region in northwestern Spain. Bright, mineral-driven whites (5) and soft-tannin reds (3), which I think will make an interesting match for the food. $75 fee is all-inclusive—food, wine, tax, tip, and corkage. You pay nothing at the restaurant. Menu shown above.
https://www.pekingduckhousenyc.com/
WHITES
2017 Adega Algueira Cortezada, Ribeira Sacra $33
Wine Advocate 92 – A white blend of Godello, Albariño and Treixadura from slate soils. It has a combination of wild herbs, nettle and fennel, bay leaf, white pepper, something citrusy and a bitter twist, which give it complexity. It has a super expressive palate with underlying minerality.
2016 Palacios Louro, Valdeorras $22
Jancis Robinson 17.5/20 – Savoury on the nose, very refined and cool and beautifully balanced. Subtle. Long slow maturation and great phenolic maturation. Subtle, juicy and lightly salty with some granite influence. Great food wine! Nervy. Godello with 8% Treixadura.
2016 Do Ferreiro Albariño, Rias Baixas $26
Jancis Robinson 17.5/20 – What a penetrating wine! The freshness is at its peak providing a lively profile. The wine is full of energy showing a vertical cutting edge and a bitter finish accompanied by a voluminous texture. This is a magnificent wine showing kerosene, sweet lemon, spice, yellow plums and pears. I love the firm richness it has.
2015 Rodríguez A Teixa, Ribeiro Blanco $43
Jancis Robinson 17.5/20 – Blend of Treixadura, Godello and Albariño. The wine has a lovely salty scent throughout the palate; it is quite intense and flavourful. Tight, with a mineral expression but with enough fruit and texture. Classy.
2015 Quinta da Muradella Candea, Monterrei $20
Wine Advocate 91 – A blend of grapes (mainly Dona Blanca and some 40% Godello and Treixadura) from 15-year-old vines on clay and stones. The grapes cofermented, and the wine was bottled unoaked. It has an austere nose, with strong soil sensations, wet granite and a tasty palate, with restraint and minerality, almost salty. This is amazing for the price.
REDS
2014 Escalada do Sil, Valdeorras $20
Vinous 92 – Opaque ruby. Sexy mineral- and smoke-accented dark fruit, incense and potpourri scents are complemented by suggestions of cola and smoky minerals. Sweet, seamless and concentrated, offering intense boysenberry, cherry liqueur and violet pastille flavors that become livelier and spicier with aeration. Sappy, palate-staining and lively; subtle tannins fold smoothly into the lingering blue fruit. 60% Merenzao, 30% Mencía, 10% Garnacha Tintorera.
2016 Guímaro Camiño Real, Ribeira Sacra $27
Wine Advocate 93 – Around 80% Mencía and the rest comprised of all the other varieties found in the old vines. It's a subtle and elegant Ribeira Sacra wine that is quite perfumed, with elegant aromas and a polished palate that's nicely balanced and easy to drink but also has good depth and nuance. Stunning, really elegant and complex.
2016 Rodríguez Eidos Ermos, Ribeiro $28
Wine Advocate 91 – A blend of Brancellao, Caíño Longo, Ferrol and Caíño Redondo from younger vines (less than ten years old) or the wines that do not make it to the other cuvées. There are aromas of wild flowers, herbs and berries with an earthy touch. The palate shows very fine- grained tannins and a tasty and fresh finish.

Galicia