Descendientes de J. Palacios, S.L.
In the late 1990s, Álvaro Palacios came to Bierzo in search of a new challenge after having achieved great success in the Priorat. Bierzo, in the far northwest of Castilla y León, awaited him with its wild, craggy landscape where heather, rock roses and holly oaks dominate the flora, with its climatic and geological characteristics, and with the fascinating grape variety Mencía.
His first experience with this native grape variety was with the Pérez Perreira family at their Castro Ventosa winery in the village of Valtuille de Abajo. In 1999, he teamed up with his nephew Ricardo Pérez Palacios, known as Titín, to found the Bodega Descendientes de J. Palacios in the municipality of Corullón.
Red wines from Descendientes de J. Palacios, S.L.
from Descendientes de J. Palacios, S.L.
The first challenge was to get to know the terroir and gain valuable experience year after year. Since those days, Ricardo Pérez has become a driving force in the Bierzo wine region, making a considerable contribution to the new DOP regulations and the classifications in Bierzo.
The winery covers a total of 45 hectares on 220 plots, some of which are extremely small and situated on slate soils in steep slopes between 500 and 850 metres above sea level. That requires hard manual labour using horses or mules. Biodynamic methods are also employed. Most of the Mencía vines are between 60 and 90 years old. However, many of the older plots also feature other grape varieties such as Garnacha or white Godello and Jerez (Palomino). The region is exposed to various climatic influences – both Mediterranean and Atlantic. Under these complex conditions, Álvaro Palacios and Ricardo Pérez succeed in producing fragrant, elegant, yet energetic wines with their own unique signature. Moncerbal, Las Lamas and La Faraona from the single vineyard El Ferro are their internationally acclaimed flagship wines, while the Pétalos and Corullón wines are the stepping stones into the wonderful world of wine in this special part of Spain for any wine lover.
Producer
Rosa Bosco
Rosa Bosco, already somewhat of a legend in the oenological world of Friuli, founded her label “RB” in 1998. Her wines are vinified and aged in the de Puppi family’s traditional azienda according to the credo "quality without compromise”.
Domaine de la Commaraine
The beauty behind the walls of Château Commaraine
The Burgundian municipality of Pommard has a classic, historic ambience with most of the buildings and walled vineyards (clos) intact, exuding a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. The small, romantic village square conveys a slightly exotic feeling to its visitors – an unusual sensation in rural Burgundy indeed!
Maison Stéphan
Jean-Michel Stéphan has vinified more than 30 vintages of Côte-Rôtie and is one of the true masters of natural winemaking (vins naturels) in the northern Rhône region. His wines have a vibrant purity that makes them unmistakable, characterised by a balance of energy and transcendence that stems from his vision of making impeccable wines without any additives.