MCF Rare Wine
We Love Laura
The other week, I went to a BYO dinner with a bunch of other industry people.
There were lots of great wines on the table, but the one I brought (like all wines I bring...just kidding...but not really...), a magnum of 2016 Gavela da Vila Blanco from Laura Lorenzo, was, to put it lightly, highly well-received.
If you've been reading this newsletter for a while, you'll know just how highly I think of Laura's wines - for the better part of a decade, I've been telling anyone who will listen about just how brilliant her work is.
What was so special (for me) about the Gavela that night, though, was the fact that, in its mature, nuanced, explosively textured, positively delicious state of being, I felt a strong sense of satisfaction knowing that I'd spent the last however many years imploring all of you to, yes, enjoy her wines on release, but also to lay some of them down - especially the whites.
That night, it removed any lingering shreds of doubt that remained in my mind.
Laura's wines are just impeccable, I can't say it any other way, and with each passing vintage, she tweaks little things here and there, on her endless quest to further improve her wines.
She's an artist. And, like any true artist, she's also a tinkerer, and, because of that, these newly released whites from the 2021 vintage are best ones yet...and I don't feel the need to qualify that with a 'probably' or 'arguably'...they just are...
The exciting new addition, though, is a second bottling of the Portela do Vento Blanco that is made of 100% Godello, as opposed to the Palomino (80%), Doña Blanca/Colgadeira/Godello (20%) blend that the regular Portela Blanco is.
Along with that exciting newbie, we have two more of her classic whites, the aforementioned, spectacular Portal do Vento Blanco and the edgy, herbaceous Camino de la Frontera Blanco, as well.
Just in case you missed it the first 8,000 times I've said it...
...we love Laura's wines, and we love Laura...
...there...I said it again...
DATERRA VITICULTORES de LAURA LORENZO
Portela do Vento Godello 2020
100% Godello - flowery, citric and gloriously-textured, with wonderful, subtle nutty/earthiness underneath. One of the best whites I've had from Laura...which is saying an awful lot.
Portela do Vento Blanco 2020
The classic Portela Blanco, which is a blend of 80% Palomino with the remainder Doña Blanca, Colgadeira and Godello, sees roughly 20 days of skin time and is aged for 12 months in old chestnut. It takes Laura's mind-bendingly pure, supple, deceptively complex style, and packages it in a stunningly textured, aromatically dazzling wine that, believe me, will reward anyone with the patience to let it sit for 3-5 years.
Camino de la Frontera Blanco 2020
The CdlF Blanco is a field blend that's mainly composed of Malvasia, Verdejo and Puesta en Cruz that spends 10 days on the skins. It's got that same deep, floral and lively character, but with a slightly more nervous texture and a fantastic, decidedly savory oxi/nutty streak running through it all. It's the salty badass of the three.
You may also order by replying to this message or calling 212.255.8870.
Matt Franco
MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street NYC 10011
212.255.8870
Looking for a wine you loved from a past newsletter or a favorite you can't find anywhere? Email Raphael at raphael@mcf-rarewine.com, and we'll do our best to find it for you!