Las Lamas 2022
Bierzo, Descendientes de J. Palacios, 750 ml
Mineral vein
- The vines for this top-quality Mencía grow at an altitude of 730 metres above sea level. It has a cool, elegant yet generous character.
- Delicate hints of violets, ripe berries, cool stone. Silky, fresh and finely woven.
- To serve with grilled spring onions, Spanish-style, or with a juicy Wagyu burger.
Description
This world-class Mencía is grown at 730 metres above sea level on the ‘Gran Vinya Classificada» – Las Lamas – which, in the Burgundian sense, is equivalent to a Grand Cru. The wine captivates with its elegant, understated, almost cool character, marked by spiced, mineral aromas. Delicate notes of violets, ripe berries and cool stone. Silky, fresh and finely woven. When young, it is advisable to decant it before serving. Enjoy it with young leeks from the grill, as they do in Spain, or with a juicy Wagyu burger.
Attributes
| Grape variety: | Mencia |
| Producer: | Descendientes de J. Palacios, S.L. |
| Origin: | Spain / Castilla y León / Bierzo |
| Label: | Vegan |
| Ripening potential: | 3 to 20 years |
| Drinking temperature: | 16 to 18 °C |
| Food Pairing: | Spiced grillades, Bistecca fiorentina, T-Bone steak, Wild specialities |
| Vinification: | partly destemmed, fermentation with grapes' own yeast, fermentation in wooden barrel |
| Harvest: | hand-picking, strict selection |
| Maturation: | in used barriques, in large wooden barrel/foudre |
| Bottling: | no filtration |
| Maturation duration: | 11 months |
| Volume: | 13.5 % |
| Note: | Contains sulphites |
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.
Mencia
Mysterious origin, today widespread
Mencia is a red, Spanish variety currently cultivated on an area of around 10,000 hectares. The origin of Mencia has not been definitively determined. It was long surmised that this vine was a mutation of the French Cabernet Franc, which came via the Way of St. James to Bordeaux. Nowadays, it is assumed that the Mencia cultivar is descended from an autochthonous native variety. Mencia is widespread throughout Galicia and Castile, and is confined almost exclusively to northwestern Spain.
Red wine derived from Mencia grapes is usually rather pale, intense in the nose, and smooth and fresh in the mouth.
Bierzo
Bierzo: to the top with the Mencia variety
At the beginning of the 90s, the Bierzo region, which is crossed by the Camino de Santiago, was barely known in the international wine scene. It was only when new residents and investors began to bottles top crus from selected slopes, which perfectly united finesse and force, that interest in this region and its primary variety grew. This variety, Mencia, is considered one of the highest quality red wine varieties in the Iberian Peninsula.
Castilla y León
Castile and León: Increasing diversity
Only 30 years ago, the autonomous region of Castile and León was an almost blank spot on the European wine list. This has changed immensely thanks to three grape varieties. The Tempranillo variety yields feisty, strong wines in Ribera del Duero and Toro. And Bierzo, the small wine area in the region's northwest, has experienced an impressive ascent, thanks to the character-laden Mencia variety. Finally, the fresh and fruity Verdelho pressings from Rueda have become the most successful Spanish white wines.
Spain
Spain – Variety and perfection
“Somewhere in la Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember...,” begins Don Quixote's odyssey.
The most famous part is definitely when Don Quixote thinks windmills are his enemy and wants to fight them – until they nearly kill him. It’s possible there was a bit too much of the La Mancha wine at play. Spanish vines fight for their survival in rugged landscapes, battling fierce drought and rough soils. But they fight well.
