Akilia - Bierzo

Making some of Bierzo's most elegant wines, Akilia organically tends a handful of vineyards in the San Lorenzo district of the region, just south of Ponferrada.  After training at La Fleur Petrus in Bordeaux, Mario Rovira returned to Spain in search of old indigenous varieties, a cool climate, interesting soils and slopes, and decided to set up camp in Bierzo.  He co-owns Akilia with his mother, Marisol.

Mario crafts his wines in a highly specific and intentional way, with great thought behind each decision and a focus on minimal intervention - gentle processing, slow and cool spontaneous fermentations, and low SO2.

Akilia “Villa de San Lorenzo” Blanco 2018

75% Palomino/25% Doña Blanca from the 75-year-old Fontairo vineyard.

Winemaking: Aged in steel tank on fine lees for 5 months with 20% aging in neutral French oak.   Spontaneous fermentation (full malolactic), 7-day skin contact, low SO2 (20-30 ppm). Low dose clarification with bentonite (natural clay) and a very gentle filtration to remove sediment.

Production: 208 cases

Akilia "K" Blanco 2018

75% Palomino/25% Doña Blanca from the 116-year-old Valdesacia vineyard.

Winemaking:  Hand harvested in small bins. Four days of skin contact at 53F and pressed as soon as fermentation began. Spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel for 40 days at around 65F.  Aged 5 months on its fine lees in stainless. Low total SO2 (24 ppm). Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Production: 1,206 bottles

Akilia Valdesacia Palomino 2019

75% Palomino/25% Doña Blanca from the 117-year-old Valdesacia vineyard.

Winemaking:  Hand harvested in small bins. Crushed/skin contact until fermentation starts (3-4 days). Spontaneous fermentation and aged 5 months on its fine lees in stainless tank. Low total SO2 (26 ppm). Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Production: 544 bottles

Akilia “Villa de San Lorenzo” Mencía 2016

98% Mencía/2% Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouchet) primarily from the 75-year-old Fontairo vineyard and some from the 95-year-old Villarín vineyard.

Winemaking:  Hand harvested in small bins.  Grapes from each parcel were spontaneously fermented in different concrete tanks.  18-day maceration, 74F max temp. The Fontairo portion was aged in used French oak for 1 year, the Villarín portion in concrete tank for 9 months.  Low total SO2 (46 ppm).  Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Production: 600 cases

Akilia Villarín Mencía 2018

98% Mencía/2% Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouchet) from the 96-year-old Villarín vineyard.

Winemaking: Hand harvested in small bins. Cool spontaneous fermentation in concrete. Aged 8 months in 3rd and 4th use French oak. Low total SO2 (28 ppm). Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Production: 612 bottles

Akilia Clarete 2020

75% Palomino/25% Mencía from the 75-year-old, 2.5ha Fontairo vineyard.

Clarete refers to an old style of bright, fresh wine historically made in Spain, where red and white grapes are co-fermented together.  Historically the larger portion is red grapes, but this is Mario's ultra-fresh, white-grape-dominant, rendition.

Winemaking:  Hand harvested in small bins.  Carbonic maceration (co-fermented), 33-day spontaneous fermentation, 64F max temp.  Aged for 4 months in stainless tank. Low total SO2 (32 ppm).  Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Production: 1,100 bottles

RP91 - Akilia Villa de San Lorenzo White 2019

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

Issue Date: June 30, 2020

The 2019 Villa de San Lorenzo White was produced with old-vine Palomino and Doña Blanca from a vineyard called Fontairo on slate and quartzite soils. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete after four days of skin contact. The wine matured in concrete for four months. Rovira considers 2019 a good vintage, with fewer challenges than 2017 and 2018, and the truth is that this white is surprisingly good, expressive and super tasty, with an almost salty twist in the finish. It's quite light with only 11.5% alcohol and good acidity. 7,000 bottles were filled in February 2020.

RP93 - Akilia Valdesacia Palomino 2019

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

Issue Date: June 30, 2020

The wine previously known as K has been renamed to the name of the paraje, a name that it already carried in the beginning. So, this time I tasted the 2019 Valdesacia Palomino, produced with grapes from 116-year-old vines on slate and quartzite soils at high altitude, where the old vines always have a field blend and this has some Doña Blanca. It's produced like the other white: after four days in contact with the skins, it fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete vats, where it matured for five months. This has a deeper golden color and a sherry-like nose with yeast and spicy notes and a dry, serious, mineral and salty palate. A white for geeks. Only 540 bottles were filled in February 2020.

RP92 - Akilia Villa de San Lorenzo Red 2016

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

Issue Date: February 28, 2019

The red 2016 Villa de San Lorenzo Red reflected the more Atlantic year, cooler than 2015, with floral notes and wild herbs, moderate alcohol and a medium-bodied palate vibrant with freshness and crackling acidity. It has flavors of acidic strawberry, very fine tannins and is dry. It finishes long and with tasty flavors. 9,000 bottles were filled in November 2017.

RP91 - Akilia Villa de San Lorenzo Red 2019

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

Issue Date: June 30, 2020

Completely different from the 2017, the 2019 Villa de San Lorenzo Red is fruit driven, characterful and varietal and feels like it's a different wine altogether. It's 13% alcohol and has a lot more freshness, a serious, stony palate and a tasty, long finish. It might not be terribly complex, but it's clean, expressive and very pleasant. Fermentation and aging was supposed to be the same as the 2017, but the profiles are radically different... 1,200 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2020.

RP94 - Akilia Villarín 2018

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

Issue Date: June 30, 2020

Among the best reds I have tasted to date from Mario Rovira, the 2018 Villarín was produced with the fruit from an organically farmed east-facing slope on slate and quartzite soils at 760 meters in altitude that was planted almost one century ago. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete vats, and the wine matured in a combination of concrete vats and used barriques for eight months. It's only 11.5% alcohol and has the spark of freshness I have found in many 2018s—it's clean, floral, perfumed and expressive. Unfortunately, there are only 612 bottles.

RP91 - Akilia Clarete

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

Issue Date: June 30, 2020

They have a new clarete, which is a pale red or dark pink (it's usually marketed as rosé, but Rovira told me it's a red), and I tasted the new 2019 Clarete, even if I had not tasted any previous vintage. It's very drinkable and fresh, produced with old-vine Palomino and Mencía grapes with 12% alcohol and white wine acidity parameters, so light and very drinkable. It started with a carbonic maceration and finished in stainless steel, where it matured with the lees for four months. It has bright red berries and an herbal side, with a leesy touch. The palate is very tasty, with stony/mineral austerity and a dry finish. 1,200 bottles were filled in February 2020.