I’d been waiting for months for this wine from Bierzo to reappear on the shelves. I discovered it during a tasting on Spain’s “emerging” wine regions, where this cuvée made from 100% mencia, an almost-forgotten grape variety apparently related to cabernet franc (or maybe Portugal’s jaen – it’s unclear), was a star of the evening. It’s also made by a star, Alvaro Palacios, who has been central in reviving the fortunes of the Priorat region over the last two decades.
I wasn’t disappointed. This dark, purple wine was bursting with aromas of spice, red meat, dark fruit (plum, especially). Despite a fairly high 14% alc./vol., the wine feels suprisingly fresh, thanks to a lively acidity and soft, ripe tannins. This is a sun-filled, solid drink, yet one with considerable suppleness and complexity. At around 20$ a bottle, it’s quite a deal, too.
What the lovely, very simple label doesn’t tell you is that the wine comes from biodynamically-grown, 60- to 100-year-old vines, low-yielding and deeply-rooted in slate. Palacios is somewhat of a pioneer in that regard too, in the world of Spanish winemaking.
It’s also a nice match with turkey, a meat pie, cheese or game, making it a lovely candidate for Christmas meals. You can also buy a case and keep it until the summer season of grilling comes around again. But can you resist it long enough to wait until then? I’m not sure I can…
[…] suggestions, from Alvaro Palacios’ Petalos, a scrumptious Bierzo with a lot of fight in it (see my tasting note), to Miguel Torres’ Mas La Plana, an exceptional and age-worthy cabernet sauvignon from the […]
I have heard many good things about Petalos. Cannot wait to try it! 🙂
Serving the 2007 vintage next week to a bunch of friends. Have you been able to taste it yet?
Nope. But I’ve tasted three vintages (2004, 2005, 2006) and they were all great. Reliable seems like another quality this wine has.