Xose Lois Sebio

Coios

$55.33 CAD/btl $166.00 CAD/case $195.00 CAD/case Retail

91 Points - Parker

Notes

Coios is special in many ways; a wine with no D.O. made in the area of O Val in Valtuille, Bierzo, a land famous for producing some of the best Mencía wines in Spain, and most importantly (or rather sadly) this is the last of Coios! Never to be made again...at least for now.

Produced by Xose-Lois Sebio in 2013, 2015, 2016, and the final vintage 2018.  Coios is a rich, fresh, intense, and luxurious 100% Mencía. The 60-year-old vines grow on terraced plots in the coldest zone of Valtuille. The altitude along with the cooler microclimate plays a major role in the higher acidity and subsequently freshness of this wine, which is perfect for conserving the rich and fruity qualities of Mencía.

The label design and the name, Coios, are a direct reference to the stones pebbles/cobbles which form the soil and are distinctive to the area. The stone soil gives the wine a well-rounded and refined mineral character by forcing the vines to grow deeper roots.

Aromas of Lilies, violets, mild spices, and fresh strawberries with a background hint of graphite and mineral notes. On the palate, it's balanced and fresh with an initial fruity intensity. Elegant and meaty. Long and intense finish. A very special Mencía, full of character that can age beautifully in the bottle. 

The wine is made using biodynamic and sustainable practices with low-intervention and no additives.

Facts

Production: No More! We've got the last of it.
Type: Tinto (Red)
Body: Medium
Palate: Dry
Finish: Intense, rich, fresh and mineral
Grape Variety: 100% indigenous Mencía
Viticulture / Farming: Sustainable & Biodynamic - Terroir Driven
ABV%: 13.5
Ageing: 14 months in used 500L oak barrels
Winemakers:  Xose Lois Sebio
Bodega: Viños de Encostas - Xose Lois Sebio
Region: O Val, Valtuille, Bierzo, Léon
Designation of Origin: No D.O.
Micro-Climate: Mediterranean/Atlantic – cool & humid winters (2ºC) and short dry summers (29ºC)
Elevation: 550-590 meters above sea level
Age of Vines: 60+ years-old
Soil: Coios (round river pebble/cobble stones)

Tips

  • Drink now or keep for up to 8 years
  • Decant or open 20 minutes before consuming
  • Pairs well with red meats, pasta dishes, Manchego cheese, Jamón Ibérico, paella and other rice dishes
  • Ideally served around 18ºC or just below room temperature

Terroir

Xose Lois Sebio makes wine from vineyards in several regions within Galicia and Castilla & León including: Gomariz, O Bolo, Sanxenxo, Valtuille, and Santiuste. 

These vineyards are found at high altitudes in Valtuille, the vines sit on terraced plots. This type of layout makes cultivation very laborious and manual. The soil is composed of Coios (round river cobble stones).

MORE INFO COMING SOON

Vinification/Ageing

Manually harvested and sorted. Pre-fermentation cold maceration for one week followed by natural fermentation at low temperature in open-top vats of 1500L. Very gentle and minimal manual punch-downs as well as light pressing with a manual screw press. Great care is taken to only extract the ripest tannins and fresh fruit notes. Malolactic fermentation begins in the vat and finishes in the barrels. In order to further preserve the delicate fruit flavours, the wine is aged in used 500L barrels. Low sulfites and no additives.

Winemaker

When it comes to winemaking, Xose-Lois Sebio is both an innovator and a traditionalist. Quite possibly one of the most knowledgeable winemakers in Ribeiro, Galicia, Xose-Lois draws from his extensive experience in both the theory and practice of winemaking. He was born and grew up in Vigo, Galicia, a coastal city in northwest Spain not far from where he now makes some of his Viños de Encostas. At the University of Ourense in Galicia, Xose-Lois completed a degree in Agricultural Engineering and a Masters in Oenology. He studied alongside some of Galicia’s greats and formed a strong bond with the entire winemaking community of the region, which he further solidified by working at various wineries in Rias Baixas, Ribeiro, and several other regions.

It was during his studies that he met Ricardo Carreira, the owner of Coto de Gomariz, one of Ribeiro’s top-rated wineries. In 2002, Xose-Lois began working with Ricardo and together they pushed the envelope; planting vineyards, bringing new wines to market, and completely revitalizing Coto de Gomariz. Together they modernized the winery and showed the world the true potential of Ribeiro wines. 

In 2010 Xose-Lois began work on his personal project, Viños de Encostas. He became obsessed with the idea of creating honest wines with no makeup and a distinct personality. With Viños de Encostas (wines of the slopes), Xose-Lois focuses on forgotten locations, off the beaten path, areas that are difficult to cultivate, all the while practicing unusual winemaking techniques. 

Of the 10 wines that comprise Viños de Encostas, some are traditional and others radically innovative, but they all display the finest aspects of the native grapes and their terroirs. The vines are low-yielding and costly to cultivate, which means they are anything but conventional. They are all small-batch wines, some of them cultivated organically, others biodynamically, and some more conventionally, depending on the location and the topography of each vineyard. Xose-Lois’ objective is to create wines that express the unique identities of Galicia’s native grape varieties and their terroirs. All of Xose-Lois’ wines are low-intervention, low-sulphur, and made without any unnatural additives.

Ratings


91 Parker Points (2013 & 2015 vintage) - Luis Gutiérrez Santo Domingo (Wine Advocate, Robert Parker)

Coios is pure Mencía from the village of Valtuille on a slope covered by boulders. It fermented in open top vats with indigenous yeasts with malolactic in barrique and 14 months aging in second use 300-liter barrels. The nose denotes ripeness and concentration, the color is impressively dark and there are aromas of plums, earth and Chinese ink. The palate is rich and juicy, with fine tannins and balancing freshness.


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