Maruxa Mencía 2024 is a single-varietal wine produced by Virgen del Galir winery in the D.O. Valdeorras with grapes from its Éntoma vineyards. Fresh, mineral, and elegant, it is awarded 91 points by critic Tim Atkin.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
Consumption time
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
100% Mencía
Capacity (cl)
75
Total acidity (g/l)
5.5
Volatile acidity (g/l)
0.45
pH
3.4
Alcohol content (% vol.)
13
General Information
Maruxa Mencía 2024 is crafted by Virgen del Galir, a viticultural project owned by the CVNE group with vineyards located in Éntoma (Ourense). The label benefits from the supervision of oenologist Jorge Navascués Haba and the expert management of CVNE, blending local tradition with know‑how technical expertise. The winery aims to express the terroir of Valdeorras through parcel selection on terraced vineyards, respect for the raw material, and an aesthetic that highlights the typical characteristics of the local Mencía.
The grapes used to produce Maruxa Mencía 2024 originate from vineyards controlled by Virgen del Galir in Éntoma, within the D.O. Valdeorras, grouped under the concept of “village wine,” harvested from small parcels with different profiles. There are earlier-ripening parcels in Val do Galir, to the south (around 350 m), planted on slate soils, marked by minerality and greater thermal reflection; other parcels, later-ripening and cooler, are situated on northern slopes along the Sil River between 600 and 800 m, with loamy and slate soils imparting floral notes and lower yields.
Maruxa Mencía 2024 is a young single-varietal focused on preserving primary aromas and the parcel’s character, without oak ageing, maintaining freshness and fruity intensity with a clean, mineral profile and good acidity.
Maruxa Mencía 2024 pairs well with oven-roasted fatty fish such as turbot or lemon fish, seafood rice dishes, white poultry, and Galician cuisine dishes; its acidity and freshness also complement medium-intensity cheeses, light stews, and grilled recipes that require balance and persistence.
Tasting notes
Appearance: Clear and bright, with a cherry red colour.
Nose: Powerful and intense, with aromas of fresh red fruit, earthy notes, mineral undertones, and floral hints.
Palate: Wide and fresh, enveloping and persistent, with good acidity and a sense of depth.
The winery
The origin of the winery Virgen del Galir (2002) is entirely family-based: it was founded by José Barros García who, together with his son David, has championed for years the magic of Valdeorras wines, both those made from godello and the -rarer- reds from mencía. The excellent work of the Barros family (in 2009 Robert Parker included one of their godellos in the top 100 best Spanish white wines under €25 and awarded it 90 points) caught the attention of the CVNE Group, which acquired the winery in 2017 with the aim of giving it the definitive push towards the pinnacle of Galician wines.
The Virgen del Galir winery is located in Éntoma, in O Barco de Valdeorras, in the eastern part of the province of Ourense. There it has 40 hectares of vineyards planted on terraces at over 600 m altitude, some of them old and inherited from previous generations of the Barros family.