Descendientes de Jose Palacios 2022 'Corullon' Vino de Villa, Bierzo DO

Terroir Notes: Villa de Corullón is built from a dizzying array of the village’s top sites, including not only Monçerbal and Las Lamas, but also San Martín and Fontelas, both of which were once notable single-vineyard bottlings. The blend also includes La Faraona’s neighbor, Ferro, along with Vasnada, María Cota, and Bruxa, each representing a different elevation, exposure, and soil. As such, Villa de Corullón is the ultimate expression of the village’s terroir. Its combination of generosity and precision makes a case not only for Corullón’s special status, but also the superiority of Alvaro’s and Ricardo’s winemaking. All the vines are between 60 and 100 years old.

Winemaking Notes: The grapes are harvested and sorted by hand. 10%-30% whole clusters are used and maceration lasts from 45-90 days in oak vats. Yeasts are indigenous. It's then aged in a mix of barrel sizes, from barrique up to foudre with 15-20% new wood. It is not fined or filtered before bottling.

About Descendientes de J. Palacios: Alvaro Palacios was already a celebrated producer of Priorat when he teamed up with his nephew Ricardo Perez, a Bordeaux trained enologist (worked at Château Margaux and other Bordelais firms like Moueix) absorbing everything he could about great wines, to fulfill his early passion for making great old vine wine from the Mencia grape. In their estate vineyards around the little town of Corullón on Bierzo’s western border, Alvaro and Ricardo believe they have found a unique combination of soils, old vines, and a distinctive variety that will yield grands cru wines. Today they farm 86 acres, all biodynamically, spread over roughly 200 plots. The Bierzo D.O. was established in 1989. Alvaro and Ricardo were pioneers of the region, starting Descendientes de J. Palacios in 1999. They have since catapulted Bierzo to one of the star regions in Spain.