Dolio, Ribeira Sacra, 2021

The 2021 Dolio is the third vintage of a cuvee of 45% Mencia, 25% Souson, 15% Brancellao, 7.5% Merenzao and 7.5% Caino selected from two of their vineyards, Carballocobo and Cortezada, with each grape providing something and the blend of all is better than each separately. The full clusters were foot trodden and fermented in a tronconic oak vat, and part of the destemmed grapes was added and fermented together with indigenous yeasts and matured in 225-liter barrels and 2,000-liter foudres for 23 months. It has lower alcohol than previous years; in 2021, it's only 13% (a full 1% less than 2022), keeping a pH of 3.4 and 5.7 grams of acidity. I kept it in the glass for a long time, and the wine opened up beautifully. Their aim is to produce a long-lived wine. 6,665 bottles were filled in April 2025.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2033

date of review 07/2025