Double scores of 90 Points awarded to Puerto del Monte

As we’ve long enjoyed the fruit-laden mineral character of Puerto del Monte from DO Bierzo, we’re thrilled that the USA is also becoming aware of the great character of this native grape, with Wine Enthusiast recently awarding an excellent score of 90 points to the 2019 vintage of our Puerto de Monte Mencía.

The 2019 vintage was classified “excellent” by the DO Bierzo and this wine was also awarded 90 points by James Suckling in 2021. Given its outstanding rating, very few bottles are left of this award-winning vintage, although we are expecting great things for the 2020 vintage as well. 

Puerto del Monte means “mountain pass” and the label is inspired by the peaks of Las Médulas in Bierzo glowing copper-red in the evening sun. Made by a young, dynamic team in an environmentally-friendly winery in the heart of the region, it is sourced from old Mencía vines of 45+ years grown on slopes at altitudes of 400-750m, before being aged for 2-3 months in oak to add softness and some spice without masking the bold fruit of the grapes.

A small, rural and remote region, Bierzo is almost the north-western limit of red wine making in Spain and the early-ripening local Mencía is the only red grape that can thrive here. Although winemaking here goes back centuries, it wasn’t until the 1990s that forward-thinking growers started to revive the ancient vineyards.