Crafted by Spanish winemaking legend Alvaro Palacios and his nephew Ricardo Palacios, this is benchmark Mencia from Bierzo – an elegant and expressive wine that sets the bar for the variety and region. Though Alvaro previously received critical acclaim as a winemaker in Priorat, he had always been intrigued by Bierzo, a rugged region tucked away in Northwest Spain, where the weather is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. The predominant variety here is Mencia, which defies stereotypes about Spanish wine, having more in common stylistically with Pinot Noir or Gamay. This wine is blended from several single vineyard sites, representing the quintessential expression of the area’s terroir. A brilliant fuchsia in the glass, the nose is packed with tightly wound notes of wild bramble fruit, juicy black plum and cassis, followed quickly by lilac and a touch of earthy forest floor. The palate is silky, with supple tannins and an incredibly bright finish. So pretty and vibrant, this wine captures just the right amount of wild ruggedness in the glass, while remaining a sophisticated example of Spain’s fresher side.

This wine is one of the most important bottlings from Bierzo, made by one of the most important producers in the region. Ricardo Perez and his Descendientes de Jose Palacios was one of the first Bierzo to be imported and marketed in the US. He has the distinct advantage of being the nephew of Alvaro Palacios, who less than a decade before was one of the producers who brought instant fame to the region Priorat. This is the wine that took that took a curious, secluded region and its unfamiliar main variety (Mencia) and showed the wine world that it is capable of creating serious, collectable wines. That was more than 20 years ago. - What is Corullon? Corullon is a village on the far Western edge of Bierzo. The heart of Bierzo is a wine valley tucked within the mountains that create the boundary between Castille and Galicia. Corullon is not in the flat, it is in the transition to the mountains, here are some of the highest vineyards of the region, planted on some of the steepest slopes. It is an extreme place to grow grapes, not too dissimilar to Priorat. These higher, cooler sites are known to be the source for the most elegant wines of the region. - This is an old vine field blend made from many sites around the village. It is mostly Mencia with just a little of other local varietals, red and white. These are old vineyards, most of which are around 60 but with several being over 100 years. All of the vineyards are farmed organically if not biodynamically. The grapes are handpicked, destemmed, and then fermented in oak. After fermentation the wine was aged in used French oak for less than a year. - This is elevated Bierzo, no pun intended. This has that mountain character that I love the cool lifted berries, with wild-flowers, herbs, and a dark earthiness. It takes that and focuses and polishes it. This is not a sauvage wine, nor has the personality been polished away, this wine treads the needle in a way that only the most skilled winemakers can. This shows the heights that the region is capable of, it has the aromatic complexity of Burgundy and the brooding intensity of Northern Rhone Syrah, and yet it is neither, it is Bierzo. This wine puts this village and region on the map.