The 2012 Tinto Mencia, produced from 45- to 55-year-old vineyards grown on clay soils with some slate, is a good representation of unoaked Mencia, simply aged in tank on its lees for two months before bottling. It has some clear berry and licorice aromas and is highly drinkable. This is the workhorse wine of the winery: 180,000 bottles are produced, and it can be found in the local bars in Bierzo. It represents good value for straight red Mencia. Drink 2013-2015. Bodegas Peique is a family business created in 1999 by the Peique family in the village of Valtuille de Abajo, where they have been making wine for over 90 years. These old families have quite extensive vineyard holdings, and in the case of the Peiques, it is 40 hectares, located in the village of Valtuille de Abajo at altitudes ranging from 450 to 600 meters. They harvest some 230,000 kilograms of grapes, with which they produce a wide range, but the quantities for most of the wines are quite limited; the lions-share of the production, 180,000 bottles, is for the unoaked Tinto Mencia. Imported by Steve Miles Selections, Denver, CO; tel. (303) 495-3811