Escolinas Mezcla Canguesa 2023 Red

Nestled between Galicia and Cantabria in north-west Spain, Asturias is not the first place that springs to mind when one thinks of wine. In the second half of the 20th century, the historic winegrowing area of Cangas shifted its focus to mining, leading to the neglect of its vineyards. Pedro Ballesteros MW visited the region in 2017 and wrote an in-depth article for SWL, recounting its story and highlighting the great potential of both its landscape and local grape varieties. He left convinced that he had witnessed "the birth of arguably the world's last classic wine region".

Aside from its relatively recent revival -recovery only began in the 2000s- a major reason for the region’s low profile is the limited availability of its wines. With just 70 hectares under vine, this is the smallest DO in Spain.

One of the region's most dynamic ambassadors is Ramón Coalla. Owner of the finest gourmet shop in Asturias, Coalla also runs his own wine distribution company with a branch in Madrid and has also been developing his own project in Cangas. It is a collaboration with the local winery, Monasterio de Corias, under the direction of Rafa Somonte, winemaker at Dominio de Tares in Bierzo and a native of Asturias.

Although the project has been underway for 12 years, it is only recently that a wide range of wines has been produced to truly showcase the region's potential. The line-up includes two white wines made from Albarín Blanco (Cangas and Castaño), three single-varietal reds made from Verdejo Negro (Merenzao or Trousseau), Carrasquín and Albarín Negro (Bruñal), the single-varietal Finca La Zorrina and the red blend Mezcla Canguesa. Annual production is between 15,000 and 20,000 bottles.

Mezcla Canguesa is made from grapes grown in the Escolinas vineyard, which lends its name to the project. Located in the village of Cangas del Narcea, the vineyard extends across the region’s characteristically steep schist slopes. Carrasquín, Verdejo Negro and Albarín Negro are co-planted with a few white varieties, which are also included in the blend. In the past, Mencía was also used, but it has been dropped in favour of local varieties.

With 4,000 bottles produced, Mezcla Canguesa is the most widely available red in the range and serves as a good introduction to explore the flavours and unique characteristics of this region -particularly for lovers of Atlantic reds. Aged for four months in oak, the wine is fruit-driven, with an original blend of sweet berry notes and herbal nuances. The palate is taut and well defined, offering plenty of fruit alongside mineral notes on the finish. It will be interesting to follow its evolution in bottle over the next two years.

4,000 bottles
13% abv.
€17
Score: 92