Solid mencia here, medium bodied with dark red fruits and will balanced oak. A bit of spice and dried meats. Not particularly complex and the finish tends to fade a bit quickly but a pleasant wine, and reasonably priced. Tasted April 2015.

I love Mencia, but this inexpensive effort from the generally excellent Bodega del Abad simply falls flat. It opens with a characteristic (for the varietal) burst of aroma, mostly dark fruit like cassis, blackberry, and cherry, along with vague notions of wood and spice, though what's distinctive is the fairly strong, and not unpleasant, meaty note that prevails throughout -- but then the bottom drops out of it, the fruit dissipating and hollowness replacing it. It gets softer with a day or so, some depth showing, but without the fruit it proves to be rather harsh and charmless.