Unfortunately, I found the red 2016 Valderroa Carballo too creamy, spicy and smoky, with clear notes of the oak ("carballo" in the Gallego language) that shows up more than in just the name. The palate is also oak-driven and reminds me of some of the oaky reds from Bierzo around the turn of the century. For fans of oaky Mencía. 2,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2019 after nine months in French barriques.

This time I did taste the red oaked cuvée (carballo is the Gallego word for oak), the 2011 Valderroa Carballo; the grapes are sourced from head-pruned, old Mencía vineyards from the Córgomo and Portela villages, where the soils are rick in black slate. It fermented in open top barrels with malolactic and nine months upbringing in new 225-liter French barriques. Unfortunately, I found the wine overtly oaky, smoky and earthy. The palate is chewy and meaty, and the oak is less apparent in the mid-palate, but marked a comeback in the aftertaste. A cool climate red for fans of oaky wines. 2,500 bottles produced.