Legendary winemakers come from everywhere. And winemakers like Alvaro Palacios make wines eveywhere they can in Spain.
Palacios finds vineyards and sources of grapes and like an artist with a blank canvas, but with lots of paint, he figures out what is going to be best at the moment from each region and for each wine he makes.
While some wines of Palacios carry high price tags, the most enjoyable, approachable and entry level wine year after year is his 2017 Descendientes de J. Palacios Petalos del Bierzo.
Made on the ouside western edge of Bierzo from the Mencia grape, the red wine is a prototype for the region, much like the Guigal’s Cotes du Rhone is for the Rhone Valley. In many ways the comparison is valid, as Palacios produces over 300,000 bottles of the wine that has a kinship in flavor profile, as the strawberry base of vibrant, lively and deep fruit is much like the Grenache based Rhone standard flag waving wine.
It’s lush, without being sappy. It’s forceful, without being overpowering. And most of all, it’s drinking well right now, or will age gracefully for many, many years.
That’s why the 2017 Descendientes de J. Palacios Petalos del Bierzo. is today’s WineSiders’ Wine of The Day!!!
