I loved its super supple, juicy fruit with just a hint of graphite (2010 Vintage)
"…completely stunning quality. I have loved the Mencia grape of northwest Spain ever since I first tasted it…. The 2009 is good but I think the 2010 is even better, a little racier. Pétalos 2010 Bierzo is made from 60-year-old vines apparently and spends 10 months in used French oak. I loved its super supple, juicy fruit with just a hint of graphite (it's easy to see why the locals initially thought this grape variety might be Cabernet Franc; DNA analysis has shown it is identical to the Jaen of northern Portugal, incidentally). This very complete wine with a bone-dry finish hides its 14% alcohol extremely well. I know the word fluid may seem a bit tautologous as applied to wine but it does seem a particularly apt description of this lovely wine, which I suggest could be drunk any time over the next four years. (Jancis Robinson, www.jancisrobinson.com, 7th September 2012)"