2021 Descendientes de Jose Palacios Petalos del Bierzo

The wine has matured for 10 months in French oak. It is a full fruity powerful Mencia wine. Full , round and fresh in taste with aromas of ripe black and red fruit such as black cherries, blueberries, blackberries, ripe raspberries and strawberries. But also slightly spicy and a little earthy with refined tannins. The aftertaste is long and with beautiful fruit and some notes of vanilla due to the wood aging. This 100% mencia comes into its own when served slightly cool. The Petalos won 1st place at the Prix de Sommelier (winner of the red wines) and the 2019 received no less than 93+/100 points from the Wine Spectator (Parker).

Fun fact : Pétalos = petals and Mencía is also called the 'Pinot Noir of Spain'.

All vines of Descendientes de José Palacios have been grown organically and biodynamically from the start. The wines are certified organic from the 2020 harvest year. The grapes for Petalós come from different villages in the Bierzo, mainly Corullón and Villafranca del Bierzo. The total vineyard area covers 90 hectares. In Corullón the soil consists mainly of shale with here and there quartzites and sandstone mixed with clay. The other villages have a clay soil with quartzites and pebbles. All vineyards are organically farmed. They are located on steep slopes at an altitude between 450 meters and 1,100 meters. Petalós consists of 92% mencía, the main grape variety of Bierzo. The remaining 8% is a blend of local blue grape varieties alicante bouschet, gran negro, pan y carne, negreda plus three white grape varieties, valenciana, jerez, godello. The age of the vines is between 40 and 90 years old. After manual harvesting, the grapes are partially destemmed and crushed. The alcoholic fermentation takes place spontaneously in a combination of stainless steel and wooden barrels. The wine then matures on wood for another 10 months. The wine is clarified and bottled unfiltered.