▸ Lavender. Strawberry. Salt.

▸ 1,000-m vines. Native yeasts.

▸ Ready for grilled chorizo.

Picked from 40-year vines at nearly 1,000 m, this mountain Mencía ferments with native yeasts and spends most of its 9-month élevage in clay amphora. Cool nights lock in red-berry crunch, making a refreshing glass once the laptop closes.

At 980–1,000 metres, Cerro Negro may be Spain’s loftiest Mencía site. Juan “Nito” Alegre ferments 70 % destemmed berries semi-carbonic, then ages mostly in clay tinajas, adding only about 20 mg/L sulphur. Expect lavender and red cherry over firm, chalk-driven tannin.