2022 Lalama Red Ribeira Sacra, Dominio do Bibei

• Style: Dry, mineral-driven Mencía with structure
• Taste: Black cherry, wild strawberry, pepper, mocha depth
• Food: Grilled lamb, game, aged cheese, mushroom dishes
• Occasion: Sunday lunch, date night, cellar-worthy
• Serve: 13.5% ABV, now or age 5–10 years

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Black cherries and wild strawberry leap from the rim, shadowed by pepper and warm mocha undertone. The palate is brisk and textural, with fine acidity keeping everything in motion. Minerality from schist and granite slopes runs through the wine; there's nothing heavy or overwrought here, just pure Iberian character. Drink now, but the structure beneath the charm rewards cellaring.

The Winery — Dominio do Bibei

Javier Dominguez founded this estate in 2001 and has spent two decades reviving Ribeira Sacra's reputation. His 140-hectare domain in the easterly Bibei sub-region, where vines range from 25 to 100 years old, stands as proof of serious, site-driven winemaking in a place where the work is genuinely heroic. Partnering with his consultant winemakers, Priorat's Sara Pérez and René Barbier, he unlocks what this sacred river valley can do. The 2022 vintage, despite extreme summer heat and water stress, yielded grapes of real depth. Hand-selected fruit underwent twice-sorting, cold-soaked fermentation with wild yeasts in barrel, and careful French oak ageing. The result carries backbone at 13.5% ABV, its intensity balanced by retained freshness.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Mencía, the grape that defines quality red wine across northwestern Spain, thrives at elevations between 300 and 700 metres, developing refined austerity — more Loire refinement than southern blockbuster. Pair this 2022 with roasted lamb, grilled game, aged Manchego, rich mushroom dishes, BBQ, stews and braises, or beef and steak. The wine's structure and minerality cut through rich fats and smoke; its freshness complements Sunday lunch or an intimate date night equally. Vegan and vegetarian certified with natural cork, this wine sits alongside the rest of our Ribeira Sacra selection and our broader Spain collection as a reminder of why regional diversity matters. Explore Mencía across the cellar for more expressions of Spain's most distinctive reds.