I think the pure Merenzao (a.k.a. Trousseau or Bastardo) 2016 Risco Merenzao is a triumph over the extremely adverse conditions of the year when hail destroyed the majority of the crop. These full clusters were foot trodden in open-top 600-liter oak barrels with indigenous yeasts and matured in 300-liter barrels for 24 months, aiming for a respectful vinification and élevage to let the traditional fragile grape variety shine through. The color is a bright ruby with some development already, and it has sleek sensations on the nose, where the notes of wild berries and herbs are perhaps softened by the élevage. But the palate shows the wild horse of the variety, rustic but noble, with good freshness, fine tannins and a subtle minerality that is a texture, not a flavor. It should develop nicely in bottle and finish integrating the oak. 3,366 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2019.

The Merenzao, produced with the grapes know in Jura as Trousseau, is always one of the more captivating wines from Algueira. And the 2014 Merenzao is not an exception. This pale and subtle red is produced with grapes planted some 30 years ago on south-facing, slate slopes. As with many of their reds, the full clusters were foot trodden and fermented with indigenous yeasts in open-top 600-liter oak barrels, élevage of almost one year in 300-liter French barriques and some time in vat before bottling. It started pretty closed, and it needs to breath. Picked in early September, this is a riper and more powerful vintage for the grape. The profile is still elegant, with super fine tannins and some balsamic flavors in the finish. 5,300 bottles were filled in December 2015.

One of the older vintages they are selling as a library release is the 2013 Merenzao, a wine that is now called Risco Mernzao. To me, this is one of the benchmark bottlings for the grape—called Merenzao and Bastardo in Spain and Portugal, though it is the same as Trousseau—in Spain, together with the bottling from Quinta da Muradella. This was produced in a more earthy and rustic style, closer to the wines from Lucien Aviet in Jura than the Bastarda from Fedellos do Couto in Ribeira Sacra. Since I tasted it some four years ago, it has developed more tertiary aromas, turning earthier and more reminiscent of an aged Trousseau, with notes of forest floor, smoked paprika and rusty nails. The palate has fine-grained tannins and is nicely textured, talking about the stony soils more than the grape. It's tasty and long—it has aged well. This is now ready for prime-time drinking.

If there is one wine that is different in the Algueira portfolio, it is the 2012 Merenzao, a pale red produced with Merenzao, the grape known in Jura as Trousseau (or Maria Ordo?a in Galicia and Bastardo in other parts of Galicia and Portugal). As with all their reds, the full clusters were foot trodden in open, 600 liter oak barrels with indigenous yeast and transferred to barrique for malolactic and 11 months aging after fermentation. It's a very pale, translucent ruby color and an explosive, intoxicating nose of dried roses and wild herbs, touches of very ripe red berries but distilling freshness. The palate is light, ethereal with great balance, ultra-fine tannins and good acidity, supple, tasty and long. Superb! 2,100 bottles.

The 2010 Algueira Merenzao is trodden by foot and aged in used oak. It has a ripe, peppery, Loire-inspired nose with cranberry, sour cherry and a faint but agreeable herbal note. The palate is well-balanced with a touch of cooked meat on the entry. It is dry, a little lean in the mouth, but very fresh and lively with crisp leafy red berry fruit on the charming finish. Very fine. Drink now-2015. Adega Algueira overlooks the River Sil from its lofty perch and uses fruit from its own vineyards: Mencia, Alvarello, Merenzao, and Caino for their reds, and Godello, Loureiro, Alvarino and Treixadura for the whites. Fernando Gonzalez Riveiro oversees a splendid portfolio that epitomizes the freshness and vitality that both the white and reds can offer. Importer: Antalva Import; www.antalva.com and Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel.(914) 244-0404