Adega Algueira’s Dolio 2019 Wine from Ribeira Sacra Joins La Place de Bordeaux

Exciting things are happening for the Dolio 2019, by Adega Algueira winery in Ribeira Sacra, Galicia. This red wine has been included in La Place, Bordeax’s complex 3-tier distribution system for top-flight wines from around the world.

Every September, carefully selected exclusive brands are auctioned off to courtiers, who are essentially middlemen or brokers. They, in turn, will sell the wines to merchants around the world, who will then sell the wine to consumers.

In total, 6,000 bottles of Dolio 2019 were auctioned off and all of them were acquired by 8 French merchants, although the bulk of the wine went to Maison Joanne, which specializes in the international sale of high-end Bordeaux wines. Maison Joanne will ultimately determine the price per bottle, depending on market demand.

Dolio 2019 is a coupage of Mencía, Brancellao, Sousón, Caíño and Garnacha Tintorera grapes. It has and intense nose with hints of iron, nutmeg, white pepper and wild berries. In mouth, it is fresh with silky tannins. Flavors of white pepper and berries appear here again. The end is long and mouthwatering.

According to Adega Algueira’s founder, Fernando González, “To be included in La Place, you must have great terroir as well as a profile and a story behind your wine to seduce the courtiers, who hold the key.” He also believes that the wholesalers in Bordeaux “see a true wine revolution  in Spain, the singularity that the international market wants. Being a part of [La Place] is very important and could have a big impact on Ribeira Sacra and Galicia.”

Other Spanish wines with the privilege of being auctioned at La Place include Telmo Rodríguez’s Yjar wine, from Rioja DOCa, in 2021 (the first Spanish wine to be included in La Place) as well as Matallana, from Ribera del Duero DO; Vivaltus wine from Yllera Group, in Ribera del Duero DO; Rioja wines from Marqués de Riscal (Tapias), CVNE (Real de Asúa), and Benjamín Romeo (Alma); and Bodegas Luis Pérez’s De La Riva Macharnudo San Cayetano Vino de Pasto from Jerez.