2020 Merayo Las Tres Filas Bierzo Spain 750 ml

Las Tres Filas—“The Three Rows”—reads like a wine lover’s dream. 

Delicious and easy to love? Check. This is made from Mencía, one of Spain’s secret-weapon grapes, which brings Pinot-ish fruit and a seductive texture to the table alongside an addictive vibrancy and depth.

Old vines? Check. It’s made from gnarled goblet-pruned plants at least 80 years old—with the oldest vines topping out at nearly a century-and-a-quarter. They provide a complexity that’s only possible through vine age—maybe that’s a double-check.

Exceptional Value? Triple-check. The 2021 Las Tres Filas has Best-in-Show honors and 97 points from Decanter’s World Wine Awards. Considering the old vines, the complexity they bring, not to mention sustainable farming, we’d easily expect this bottle to go for twice as much. 

Grown almost exclusively in northwest Spain, Mencía has become a star in the US. Wine Spectator included the grape as one of “The Must-Try Wines of Our Time,” and the world is starting to notice. We’ve already seen allocations of Bierzo wines tighten and their prices rise. 

And behind that steep rise? Pedro Merayo. The local wine pioneer spent 20 years lovingly restoring the region's ancient vineyards before founding Bodegas y Viñedos Merayo thirteen years ago. All that dedication is paying off big time.

Pedro's secret? Keeping things deliciously old-school. Following his father's wisdom, he championed sustainable farming and gentle winemaking long before it was trendy. Today, the family tends to 42 hectares of vineyards, with most vines hitting the century mark in age. These grand old plants, scattered across prime spots like Las Gudiñas and La Galbana on the high-altitude, cooler, northern side of the appellation, are the backbone behind their stellar lineup.