I have a soft spot for Mencia, and I must admit that I’ve spent about 5 minutes mesmerized by its colour, a vibrant tone of purple with a shade of pink. The choice of the pink coloured bottle cap makes it clear to me that Lauren doesn’t leave anything to chance. On the nose, freshly squeezed black and blueberries, with a spirituous side of maraschino cherries. A floral lift from crushed violet follows, with aromatic herbs, juniper berries and cracked black pepper to complete the picture. The palate descends towards funky town, but surprise, no stinky nor dirty (winking to my son’s favourite cartoons here), only a spritziness. Soft-grained tannins recall the Iberian version without wanting to be a copycat. 93 points Lisa Cardelli Wine Front
