Bierzo DO Descendientes de J. Palacios Petalos 2017

Alvaro Palacios and his nephew Ricardo Pérez Palacios established this highly reputed Spanish domaine. Alvaro Palacios is one of the most renowned winegrowers in th Iberian peninsula. In 1998, the two men fell in love with an almost inaccessible, low-yielding vineyard high up in an isolated mountain village. Motivated by a philosophy akin to the Burgundy ethos, it produces single varietals. The range includes “grands crus” which are made from the most inaccessible parcels of vines.

Domain Descendientes de J. Palacio sis now an institution in Spain, having built its reputation on superb cuvées made from parcels spanning altitudes of 500 to 900 metres. The soil is weak and very varied, much like the exposure of different vines to the sun. The Petalos cuvée is a single-varietal Mencia wine, the local varietal par excellence.
Made to be savoured in its youth while still fruity, it has a purple hue and a delicate aromatic bouquet of ripe, black fruit like blueberry, blackcurrant, and plum, blended with floral hints of violet. You also get slightly more complex touches of white pepper and balsamic. The well-integrated tannins are supple, giving the wine a silky mouthfeel.
This wine is the fruit of a blend from different parcels where the vines, between 50 and 90 years old, enjoy the influence of schist soils. In the cellar, this cuvée is aged in oak casks for 10 months.