Galician wines have taken the sommelier world by storm over the last decade, quickly becoming the preferred playground for Iberian wines that emphasize freshness, transparency, and minerality over power. The white wines from grapes like Albariño and Godello (see our dual offering today HERE) are all the rage on restaurant lists, and the region’s top red grape, Mencía, has also risen to the top of the Green Spain wine revolution. Unfortunately, many producers have increased their prices faster than the wine’s reputation can keep up with. It’s not without reason: One look at the impossibly steep, terraced slopes of Ribeira Sacra and you wonder how these wines don’t cost even more. That said, when we discovered the wines of Rubén Moure we were blown away by the quality and price. “Finca Cuarta” is from old vines grown on those same steep slopes, and it displays the full spectrum of complexity, spice, savor, and depth of its neighbors that cost $50 or more per bottle–and it does all of that at half the price! 

The Ribeira Sacra region lies around 50 miles inland from the Atlantic, where the Miño river carves a steep canyon through the rugged landscape. Galicia is the coolest, wettest region of Spain, and the Ribeira Sacra is the coolest, wettest area of Galicia. The Romans were the first to carve out terraces in the steep cliffs that plummet down to the river, planting vines here some 2,000 years ago. In the early medieval era, monks moved in and took over the farming and winemaking, giving the region its name which translates simply to “holy river bank.”

The family of Rubén Moure Fernandez has been farming grapes and making wine in the Ribeira Sacra for generations. That is how he came into an inheritance of a few parcels of Godello and Mencía, and was then able to establish his own winery in 2008. Based in the village of Pantón, Rubén is a staunch proponent of the local varieties, and as he is blessed with excellent plots of old vines he can focus entirely on producing wine that provides the most pure, transparent snapshot of his unique terroir.

Rubén’s old vines of Mencía are hand-harvested by necessity, given the steep, terraced slopes, before undergoing a 10 day cold soak and then fermentation in stainless steel tanks. About 80% of the finished wine remains in those tanks to age on the fine leaves for several months, while the remaining 20% is racked into new, French oak barrels to add a bit of depth and polish. Those steep, rock slopes full of sharp slate stones and a bedrock of hard granite impart a classic minerality that includes notes of iodine and crushed rock. In the glass, it has a deep, nearly opaque ruby core moving to a pink rim, with aromas of wild strawberries, huckleberries, and Morello cherries mingling with red and purple wildflowers. The medium body and elegant texture make it a versatile pairing for everything from grilled salmon and trout, to duck, and anything smoked or grilled. The value here is really mind blowing—this is definitely a wine to buy by the case, or cases!