Alvaro Palacios, whose family owns the prestigious Rioja Bodega, Palacios Remondo, spent two years at Château Pétrus before setting up his own business in Priorat in 1989. From the outset, he aimed to produce world-class wines using extremely low-yield fruit from old vines and state-of-the-art winemaking techniques. Despite all his successes, Palacios embarked on a new adventure with his cousin Ricardo Perez. Their goal was to revive the wines of Bierzo. Both saw an opportunity, and in 1998 they jointly established a new winery in Corullon. Bierzo also features old, steep vineyards with abundant slate. The local grape is Mencia.
The grapes used come from plots of very old vines, between 50 and 90 years old. They are sourced from small plots in five municipalities in Bierzo. These are underperforming, resulting in high-quality fruit. The vineyards that produce Pétalos del Bierzo are primarily planted on slate floors and situated on slopes. Harvesting is done manually, with the first selection taking place in the same vineyard. In the winery, the grapes are destemmed for approximately 25 days and fermented in open wooden vats and open stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation takes place for two months in closed wooden vats and open stainless steel tanks. Pétalos del Bierzo is then aged for 10 months in French oak barrels before bottling, filtering, and clarification. This wine is particularly prestigious because the 2011 vintage of Pétalos del Bierzo was recognized by Robert Parker as the best Spanish wine of the year.
Full, round, and fresh on the palate with aromas of ripe black and red fruits such as black cherries, blueberries, blackberries, ripe raspberries, and strawberries. It's also slightly spicy and a touch earthy with refined tannins. The finish is long and features beautiful fruit and some vanilla notes thanks to the oak aging. This Alvaro Palacios wine is best served slightly chilled.
