2020 Fazenda Agrícola Augalevada Mercenario Tinto Selección

WINEMAKER: Iago Garrido
REGION: Galicia, SP
VARIETY: Caiño Longo, Caiño da Terra, Brancellao
VITICULTURE: Certified Biodynamic/Organic

As per the classic Mercenario Tinto, the Selección de Añada is made from vineyards on the different river banks throughout the Ribeiro DO – but the vines are older on this occasion, Iago selects the best plots and harvests them a bit later "to produce deeper and meatier wines", as he explains. He also adds some grapes from Augalevada for good measure. This refined red wine is in the same vein as the classic Mercenario Tinto although complexity, depth and length are significantly stepped up!

The most Jurasian-style of Galice. With a background in agricultural engineering, Iago became fascinated with permaculture at a young age and Augalevada is the first biodynamic certified (Demeter) winery in the history of Ribeiro. Galician cows chew on the lush grass, chickens roam through the vines while diverse orchard trees and a vegetable patch feed Iago’s family. In 2009 he purchased a bit over 4 hectares and add planted himself two-and-a-half hectares in the following years. Iago built his cellar on the granitic hill over three floors allowing for gravity during winemaking. He ages his wines in 500 litre and 600 litre barrels as well as tinajas, made by the master Juan Padilla (Villarrobledo), buried underground in the cellar basement.