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Pétalos del Bierzo 2023 is the new vintage of one of the most sought-after wines from Bierzo. Made from a selection of old vines on slopes, which Álvaro Palacios and Ricardo Pérez cultivate using biodynamic methods, it is a mencía that respects the traditional agriculture of Bierzo but interpreted in a modern key.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
Consumption time
General features
General Information
The essence of Pétalos del Bierzo 2023 lies in the queen grape of the denomination: mencía, the protagonist of its ‘coupage’, complemented by a small contribution of red varieties such as alicante bouschet, gran negro, pan y carne, and negreda; as well as white varieties like valenciana, jerez, and malvasía. Its origin is found in old vines, aged between 50 and 110 years, cultivated as bush vines on slopes (450-1100 m altitude) and spread across various municipalities, mainly Corullón and Villafranca del Bierzo, and the villages of Viariz, Hornija, Valtuille de Abajo, and Otero.
The mencía vines grow on diverse soil types, such as the slate soils of Corullón and others that are clay-ferrous, with pebbles and some sandy soils. This diversity adds complexity to the wine. Harvesting was done manually with strict selection. Once in the winery, fermentation took place in wooden vats and stainless-steel tanks, using native yeasts. After malolactic fermentation, the wine was aged in barrels and large casks. It was bottled unfiltered.
Álvaro Palacios was already one of the brightest figures in Spanish wine before arriving in Bierzo, having made history and captivated international critics with his work in Priorat (L’Ermita, Finca Dofí...). In 1999, he arrived in El Bierzo and, together with his nephew Ricardo Pérez Palacios, founded the winery Descendientes J. Palacios, where extraordinary wines are crafted, such as Moncerbal, La Faraona (100 Parker points), and Corullón. These red wines have allowed mencía to reach unimaginable levels just a few years ago.
Pétalos del Bierzo 2023 (D.O. Bierzo) is ideal to pair with hen in pepitoria or Iberian pork tenderloin with mushroom sauce.
The winery
Winery
Also in Bierzo, the Palacios family has managed to find the most hidden vineyards and produce splendid wines. Architects of the great revolution taking place in Bierzo, the young Ricardo Pérez Palacios—one of the descendants of the Palacios Remondo dynasty from La Rioja—and his uncle Álvaro Palacios—one of the gurus of Priorat—embarked on the adventure of crafting a great wine in Bierzo from the native mencía variety. And they succeeded.
They began producing in 1999 after acquiring a few hectares of vineyard and a small winery in Villafranca del Bierzo, which has been restored. They make their wines from mencía grapes, sourced from a vineyard located in a privileged environment with 27 hectares divided into almost 200 plots, planted with old vines of great quality on very steep soils, which Ricardo and Álvaro cultivate using biodynamic methods. This way, they produce fresh, fragrant, juicy, and lively wines, a true reflection of the viticultural personality of the Bierzo hills.