César Márquez is the master of Mencia and has deep roots in the Bierzo region, coming from the family widely known as the most revered winemakers in Bierzo. The pressure that comes with this lineage is great, and Cesar has not only lived up to his family reputation but carved his own path making wine under his own name. His winemaking journey has taken him from the family wineries of his uncle, Raul Perez, to Mendoza where he worked with the Michelini brothers before launching his own project in 2015

In Bierzo, Mencia is the star of the show, representing 90% of plantings and there are a massive proportion of old vines. Looking at the vineyards Cesar is working with, some are as old as 100 and as high as 700m elevation. Not much about this picture looks like Burgundy, but Cesar is exploring what Burgundian-inspired classifications might look like in Bierzo.

Cesar’s wines are characterful, expressive and elegant. He expresses the terroir and fruit over process with a light-touch in the winery, allowing us to get to know each site through his wines. This young project is catching the eye of wine writers, critics, and definitely us!