2022 Descendientes de José Palacios Villa de Corullón Bierzo

This has the level of a real Grandcru from Burgundy with a comparable aging potential but only costs a fraction of the hundreds of euros costing Top Burgundies. This top wine is mainly made from Mencia grapes from the own vineyards from the village of Corullón up to 850 meters altitude and is aged on average 17 months in oak. This Corullan has an aroma intensity of ripe fruit, slightly sweet spices fleshy and a complex but fresh bouquet of flowers and berries. In the taste we immediately have the crispy acids perfectly supported by a mouth-filling midriff with mineral dry fruity finale. The tannins are very nicely present and this in optimal condition, juicy and yet with bite. Nicely packed with balanced barrel maturation. 96/100 Parker.

This area belongs geo-politically to Castilla y León, but physically it is the gateway to Galicia. The Castilian plateau here becomes a mountainous landscape that changes into a green oasis and a more temperate climate: less extreme than in Castilla and less rain than in Galicia. Bierzo is the kingdom of the Mencía grape, a noble unknown to many, but one of Spain's most underrated grapes with impressive potential. The vineyards are located at an altitude of between 450 and 1,100 meters, with a considerable difference in altitude, which results in many microclimates and terroirs. The main cities are Ponferrada and Villafrance del Bierzo. The soils are sandy or clayey) rocky in the valley along the river Sil, or consist of limestone and mainly slate in the mountains.

The great impulse to this wine region was mainly given by this project. One of the first biodynamic domains in Spain. It was Alvaro Palacios who recognized the potential of this area to make really great terroir wines. After his odyssey in Priorat, he started this wonderful story together with his young nephews Ricardo. They selected the most difficultly situated vineyards of the entire area: the highest, the most difficult to access and with the lowest yields (because vieilles vignes): these were precisely the vineyards that the villagers were least interested in because they yielded the least.