Bodega Palacios Remondo
He was born 'at home', right above his father's bodega – Álvaro Palacios, Spains star vintner. The scent of wine and barrels must have been lying in the air and thus dictated his further life. He studied oenology in Bordeaux and gathered professional experience at the Château Pétrus, and in London, Dublin, and California. Today, he owns vines in the Priorat county, in Bierzo, and at home in the Rioja, and proves his extraordinary talent with premium wines year after year.
He loves his family, motorcycles, nature, songs by Camarón, a challenge and taking risks. He seems believable when he confesses that his second calling would have been to be a 'torero', a bullfighter. He bristles with dynamism and power.
He went to Bordeaux to study oenology when he was 21 years old. The next stage saw him working at the Château Pétrus for two years. Then he returned home. His father José Palacios Remondo had built a bodega in close to Alfaro in 1948 following a family tradition dating back to 1651. However, Álvaro felt constricted upon his return. In 1989, he was pulled towards the abandoned Priorat, where his first resounding success would take place shortly. He was restless to hurry to the next challenge in Bierzo, where he prompted the next furore. His international reputation as a star winegrower had already been established when his father died in 2000. This marked the right moment to return home – his birthplace.
The parental estate encompassing about 150 hectares in total is situated in the Rioja Baja, to the west of Alfaro. Álvaro mainly builds on Garnacha instead of Tempranillo, as it reaches its full potential on the rocky, ferrous quartziferous lime soil. The winters are very cold and the summers can get extremely hot. Here, the precipitation is just about half that of the Rioja Alta. About 110 hectares comprise the site of La Montesa hillside of the Monte Yerga. The Tempranillo prospers on the higher and cooler slopes, while the Garnacha feels at home at lower altitudes. Near the La Montesa site one can find the Viura vine stocks used for the Plácet circling a little magazine. The parcel is called Valtomelloso. With its 40- to 70-year-old vine stocks, the site Propiedad comprises about 10 hectares divided into 5 parcels situated about 600 meters above sea level. They are stocked exclusively with Garnacha. In 2014, an entirely a new vineyard consisting of Garnacha, Viura and Monsatrell mixed was planted as it used to in the past. The idea: A Rioja wine with the quality of a Grand cru! We can be excited for its first vintage.
At home, Álvaro has also been crowned by success, having received numerous awards and consistently high ratings. His talent, his intuition and his untiring inventiveness have enabled him to elevate his parental estate to the top of international wines.
Producer
Sacchetto
For over a hundred years, the Sacchetto family has devoted itself to winemaking with passion. The winery is led by the siblings Beatrice and Paolo, together with the people who work alongside them and help shape its identity. They all share one vision: to create wines that express their origin – and tell a story.
Domaine des Pères de l'Eglise
In 1933, the winegrowers and wine merchants of Châteauneuf-du-Pape were the first to impose quality rules relating to the cultivation and production of wines that would bear the name Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The geographic definition of the cultivation area, along with the other regulations, is still in force today, in order to guarantee the wine quality for connoisseurs. The Gradassi family of the Domaine des Pères de l’Église is following the tradition, but with the fresh impetus provided by the young fourth generation.
Roland und Karin Lenz
In 1994, while Roland Lenz was still studying oenology, he and his wife Karin were able to acquire eight hectares of vines on the Iselisberg. It was a unique opportunity that they seized, even though they were toying with the idea of setting up their own business abroad, far from Switzerland. They actually did so later, but that's another story…