Cesar Marqués: nephew of Raul Perez, both the greatest beard in the wine biz and the guy most responsible for elevating Mencia to the list of world's greatest grapes. Cesar's a young gun very much in his uncle's mold, and his "Parajes" represents one of the greatest values in Spanish wine. A blend of 7 old-vine vineyards, it's a field blend the way the ancestors did it -- 85% Mencia, 7% Alicante Bouschet, and 7% "other," including some white grapes and some things that probably haven't been identified. It's a totally hand-made, natural wine, and it's delicious: think wet black slate, brambly blackberries, and violet-encrusted earth.
