Pazo de La Cuesta, the oldest family winery in Galicia, located in San Clodio de Ribas de Sil, has just launched its Mencía 2022. A wine that stands out for its freshness, balance, and quality.
“The mencía we make at Pazo de La Cuesta is very different from what we can find in other areas of Galicia. Undoubtedly, the pruning we do here makes the difference compared to what is done in other wineries. This is one of the fundamental factors that will mark the development of the grapes in the vineyard. The philosophy we have at Pazo de La Cuesta perfectly regulates the production depending on the different plots. Although all the vineyards are in the same estate, we have different locations and different productions”. Revealed the technical director and winemaker of Pazo de La Cuesta, Luis Buitrón.
At Pazo de La Cuesta, they work with respectful pruning: they regulate production with a minimum load of grapes on each vine and with well-distributed clusters, which allows the fruit to ripen correctly. In this way, they achieve wines of 13 degrees, which show the freshness and characteristics of the area, with a good balance with the time spent in wood.
“What we look for when we regulate pruning is balance in all parameters. Starting with alcohol content, acidity, and anthocyanins to achieve a good, balanced color load. Our work in the vineyard consists of achieving a good balance between the plant and the soil, and that is the result of having done proper tillage throughout the year. At Pazo de La Cuesta, we do not use herbicides, and all tillage is mechanical to achieve good aeration of the soil. Thus, the water can flow perfectly to the roots of the plant and achieve that good balance”, explained Luis Buitrón.
The orientation of the estate, with a good number of hours of solar radiation, and the drainage of the soil are factors that positively influence the characteristics of their wines. The Pazo de La Cuesta team emphasizes that one of the key factors of the wines they make is the privileged climatic situation they have, since Quiroga is the valley of the Ribeira Sacra, which possibly has the most hours of solar radiation.
“The elaboration of mencía at Pazo de La Cuesta has two main processes: fermentation in stainless steel tanks, between 22 and 24 degrees, and malolactic fermentation, which is also carried out in stainless steel tanks. Approximately, once the whole fermentation process is finished, we have between five and six months in the steel tanks, and then we move on to the second part, which is the passage to the wood. Here we play with wood of 300 and 500 liters of capacity. At the moment, we work with three types of wood: French, American, and Central European, with medium/low toasting, so that the wood contributes, but does not influence, and does not overlap with both the flavor and the aromas of the Mencía grape. The result is a wine of unbeatable quality”, emphasized Buitrón.
PAZO DE LA CUESTA: THE OLDEST FAMILY WINERY IN GALICIA
Since 2020, Pazo de La Cuesta, located in Ribas de Sil, has been immersed in a renovation and recovery project of its historic vineyard and the restoration of the primitive 16th-century winery. The oldest family winery in Galicia has belonged to the same family since its foundation and it has been Manuel Bellod Álvarez de Lorenzana, who is part of the fourteenth generation, the one in charge of starting this initiative assuming the commitment to return the prestige of yesteryear to the pazo, its vineyard and its wines.
Recently, the Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and the Instituto Padre Sarmiento have carried out an in-depth study of numerous historical documents housed in 48 large boxes at Pazo de La Cuesta.
This research has revealed that wine has been produced on the property since at least 1608, making it the oldest family winery in Galicia and one of the longest-lived in Spain, after 14 generations of continuous winemaking activity.
