Peixe da Rocha, Peixes 2019

Peixe da Rocha is Peixes's expression of a field blend from the highest and coldest vineyards around Viana do Bolo in Galicia, Spain. This wine comes from the villages of Punxeiro and Santa Marina de Froixais, the most 'extreme' area around Viana do Bolo – the highest, coldest, and most challenging terroir that Peixes works with.

The vineyards are planted with a field blend of 60-80-year-old Mencía, Mouraton, Grao Negro, Garnacha Tintorera, Bastardo, Sousón, and around 10-15% of the blend is white grapes: Godello, Doña Blanca, Colgadeira, and Palomino which are pruned in a gobelet style and grow along wide stone terraces.

Peixes is the most recent project of Jesús Olivares and Curro Bareño (also behind Fedellos do Couto in Ribeira Sacra and Ca' di Mat in Sierra de Gredos). Curro and Jesús discovered old vineyard sites around the town Viana do Bolo, which is almost encircled by Valdeorras but not part of the DO. Located at 600-850 metres above sea level, these are some of the highest vineyards in Galicia. At this altitude the grapes don't ripen easily and many of the sites had been abandoned. The 60-80 year-old gobelet trained vines grow along sinuous stone terraces. They are field blends of Mencía, Mouraton, Grao Negro, Garnacha Tintorera, Bastardo, and Sousón which include 10-15% of white varietals Godello, Dona Blanca, Colgadeira, and Palomino. Farming is a mix of organic and sustainable. Jesús and Curro work six hectares themselves, by hand, and with growers who manage a further two hectares.

The winemaking is quite hands off – they use whole clusters, long macerations, and cool fermentations with indigenous yeasts. Wines are matured in large neutral oak and bottled without fining or filtration.

What you get is a wine from the most extreme terroir that Peixes works with – the highest, coldest vineyards that produce wines with incredible freshness, minerality, and tension. The combination of old vines, high altitude, and field blend creates layers of complexity and character that make this wine genuinely distinctive.

Serve it at room temperature with grilled meats, roasted vegetables, game, stews, or aged cheeses. This is honest, mineral-driven Galician red from one of Spain's most exciting high-altitude wine projects, perfect for those looking for something with real freshness and complexity from extreme terroir.