Alvaro Palacios Spanish wine Offering Palacios Remondo Rioja, Descendentes De Palacios Bierzo and Priorat Wines on SALE!

"Wine, it's in my veins and I can't get it out."
- Burgess Meredith

I will never forget the first wine dinner that we hosted with Alvaro Palacios over two decades ago at Café Maxx. We served 6 vintages of his iconic L’Ermita wine back to the first vintage 1993.  Today, we would have to charge $2000+ to do this again because L’Ermita has become one of the cult wines of Spain fetching as much or more than Bordeaux’s first growths and Burgundy’s grand crus upon release.  The fact, L’Ermita is much harder to procure as they only make around 3000 bottles of this wine in any vintage as it is from a vineyard that is only 4.4 acres of 90+ year old Grenache wines.

It was great catching up with Alvaro Palacios while visiting Rioja last month.  Even though it had been 10 years since our last event in Miami at the Fontainebleau Hotel it seemed like we caught up right where we left off.  I can count on one hand the people that I know in the wine business that I can go a decade since our last meeting and then catch up like it was yesterday.

When I started planning my trip to Rioja Alvaro was first on my list of people to call to arrange a visit.  I wanted to see the road less traveled as not a lot of people that visit Rioja think about the Rioja Oriental aka the Baja region as there are not a lot of famous Bodegas here and therefore not as many great hotels, restaurants or other amenities here to entice travelers. 

When we arrived Alvaro was like a kid showing us his latest toy when he took us into the vineyards to show us the vines that his father planted using the more classic trellising method.  He explained that he did not agree with the logic but kept the vineyard like this to show the difference between what the last generation did which emulated what was being used in the modern vineyards of Bordeaux and Napa Valley. Right or wrong it was what was popular at the time, and it seemed necessary to show the past to see the future of this vineyard.  His father also irrigated the vines which was necessary for the young vines but not good for the older vines as it trained the roots system to stay at the top of the soils instead of going deeper to give the grapes the distinct minerality which is what makes the wines from this region unique and distinct. 

As Alvaro learned more about how things were done in the past in Rioja Baja he learned that the old way was actually better for these Garnacha vines as this region was unique and this grape varietal liked the struggle that bush vines had to deal with in the rocks and with the lower rainfall average in the southern part of Rioja the roots had to go deep into the soils to get water so irrigation here was training the roots to do the opposite of what was necessary to make great wines here as rather than going deep into the soil they stayed near the top and did not get the benefit of the unique terroir that make the grapes here distinct and therefore able to tell the story of Rioja Oriental. 

This was my first visit to the vineyards of Palacios Remondo and the terroir here is very unique like in Chateauneuf du Pape the vineyards are covered in stones making it hard to walk but you can see why Garnacha is the star here in the south of Rioja.  Many planted Tempranillo here because it was more popular but Alvaro has almost 100% Garnacha in his vineyards.  The soils here are unique and the rocks are the secret sauce that like the chef’s spices make the grapes reflect this region which is why Garnacha is king here rather than the more popular Tempranillo varietal that most people associate with Rioja.  If you blind taste the wines from Palacios Remondo you may not recognize them as Rioja as this region is the only part of Rioja where Garnacha is the star and even here many producers have given away their heritage to what is popular.  The wines of Palacios Remondo are unique and even though they are a paradigm example of the wines from this region they may be the only wines from Rioja that are made in this style therefore they define themselves rather than follow any convention or norm of what is considered Rioja today.

   
The Valmira vineyard is at the highest point in Alvaro’s vineyard and he has some older bush vines here as well as some new plantings that will be producing wines in the next 2-3 years.  The future of this site has been well thought out and the older vines here have been grafted to the correct varietal as Alvaro is convinced that Garnacha is the best suited to the soils here and when you are planting a vineyard it is a generational investment.  The newer vines here may not make great wines for a few decades and although he may not see the fruits of his labors, this is the correct path for this vineyard and the only way to fully optimize the vines.
  

They utilize several different fermentation vessels here to get the most out of each wine that they make here at the facility in Rioja.  This is a no-frills winery but clean and organized as you would imagine from a meticulous vintner like Alvaro.  The wines are made in the vineyard and the passion of any great vigneron is not in the oak barrels or steel fermentation tanks but in the vineyard that the grapes come out of.  Alvaro is proud of his home and he lives at each of the wineries that he is invested in travelling from Rioja to Priorat and back every month and then to Bierzo.   
  
The bullfighter is one of the most revered of all the athletes in Spain and Alvaro has the classic Matador jacket on display in the tasting room.  We tasted the new releases from the Palacio Remondo winery and this put everything into perspective after the tour of the vineyard and winery.  This is one of the most important parts of my job. I call it the kiss the dirt tour.  You can only really get to know a wine after you have visited the vineyard to see the earth that vines come out.  It is also essential to see the place where the wines is made and to learn about the process that brings the whole experience of the wine to the glass.
 
After the tasting Alvaro brought us to one of his favorite local restaurants, Morro Tango which is only a few blocks away from the winery and is Michelin Star rated.  The only thing that was important to me for this dinner was great Champagne and whenever I’m on vacation I bring a few bottles for each night as it is not vacation if you don’t have Champagne.  I saved the 2007 Salon and the 2008 Krug for this night as there is nothing that goes with friends, family and amazing cuisine better than Champagne!

Thank you, my friend, for another unforgettable evening!  Keep an eye out for Alvaro’s next visit to South Florida as we will host a tasting with Alvaro at the Wine Bar the next time he is in town. 

All the wines from Bodegas Palacios Remondo on SALE!!

2022 BODEGAS PALACIOS REMONDO PLACET VALTOMELLOSO RIOJA DOCA SPAIN
Price: $53.00                   Your Price: $46.64
The only white wine made by famous Spanish winemaker Alvaro Palacios at his family’s Rioja property, Placet is made in very limited quantities from the indigenous Spanish grape variety, Viura, grown on the estate. Placet is a captivating wine that is light gold in color with aromas of honeysuckle, almonds, and fresh orchard fruit. On the palate the wine is both voluptuous and vibrant with good acidity and a long finish that has hints of fresh apricots, soft minerals and lightly toasted oak.

2020 BODEGAS PALACIOS REMONDO FINCA LA MONTESA RIOJA DOCA SPAIN
Price: $22.50                   Your Price: $18.00
(93 Points) They are going for lower yields and less bottles of the 2020 La Montesa and slowly putting prices up, as they feel the wine is more serious than what the perception of the affordable price makes it. 2020 is a powerful vintage; it's structured and textured, the oak is very nicely integrated (12 months in barrel, but the powerful wine absorbed it completely), and it's powerful with 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.55, a little darker than in previous years. The tannins are very fine with a subtle chalky texture.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2021 BODEGAS PALACIOS REMONDO PROPIEDAD RIOJA DOCA SPAIN
Price: $57.50                   Your Price: $46.00
Palacios Remondo Propiedad Viñas Viejas is one of the estate’s flagship wines made from old-vine Garnacha grown in high-elevation vineyards that lie on the rocky hillsides of Rioja Oriental.  This wine is aged in French oak for 18 months, the 2021 Propiedad is stunning with both red and black fruit aromas, complimented by pretty floral aromas along with hints of dark chocolate and fresh earth.  On the palate this wine is fresh with soft tannins and bright acidity and a long layered finish.  Finish 50+  Most Excellent

2015 ALVARO PALACIOS QUINON DE VALMIRA RIOJA
Price: $465.0                   Your Price: $409.20              Quantity in Stock: 1
A total of 2,000 bottles of this wine were produced; this is the newest Rioja wine from Alvaro Palacio. Alvaro is very committed to restoring areas of Rioja Baja to how they were, recovering old plots of Garnarcha and showing the exceptional wines that this area in Rioja can produce. The vineyard Quinon de Valmira, is located on Monte Yerga overlooking the Ebro Valley, in the Alfaro area near the winery. In the 11th century, a group of monks reached this area, sitting 615 metres above sea level and founded a Cistercian settlement. This wine is made from 100% Garnarcha. "First fruits of Alvaro Palacios' labours to restore Rioja Baja's traditional Garnachas to glory. Alvaro Palacios Quinon de Valmira 2015 is a pale garnet colour with gloriously floral aromas. Equally seductive palate superbly ripe with a lift of orange peel and grain of dark chocolate. Very refined; Pinot-like. A great beginning; a vineyard to watch." - Sarah Jane Evans, MW

Alvaro in the early days and a man on a mission.

Alvaro is one of the original five producers along with Clos Mogador, Clos Erasmus, Clos Martinet and Clos de l'Obac that made wine together at the same facility in the early 1990’s.  Today the Priorat is considered to be among one of the most prestigious wine producing regions in all of Spain and was elevated to DOC status as of the 2009 vintage making it the only area to achieve DOC status other than the most famous wine region in Spain- Rioja.

A bit about Alvaro Palacios:
During the late 1980’s, Alvaro Palacios travelled his native Spain selling French barriques to winemakers. But his journeys had a second purpose: to find the best place to achieve his goal of making Spain’s greatest wine.

He ultimately decided, in 1990, on Priorat, where he would achieve worldwide fame with "L'Ermita" and "Finca Dofi." But there had been a close contender: Bierzo. It had all the ingredients that Alvaro wanted-incredibly steep hillside vineyards, distinctive terroirs and, most importantly, ancient vineyards of Mencía-a unique red grape believed brought by French pilgrims during the Middle Ages.

In Pursuit of the Dream.
The idea of making great wine from old-vine Mencía never left Alvaro, and his experience in Priorat-particularly with L'Ermita-convinced him of Bierzo's enormous potential. Meanwhile, his nephew Ricardo Perez had finished enological studies in Bordeaux and was travelling across France-absorbing everything he could about great wines. He worked the harvest at Château Margaux, and did internships at other Bordelais firms like Moueix (Pétrus, Trotanoy, etc.). He also visited Alvaro frequently and came to share a belief in Bierzo's potential. In 1998, the two decided on a joint venture and set out in search of the region's finest old vineyards.

Assembling the Pieces.
Alvaro and Ricardo found promising sites in a number of villages but shortly came to believe that the greatest potential lay in a little town on Bierzo's western border named Corullón. Old vineyards lined the precipitous hillsides there, and the local soils were extremely poor-composed mostly of schist-but with incredible diversity. The minute variations in soils and exposures across this zone immediately reminded the two of Burgundy's Côte d'Or, or Piedmont's Langhe hills. In Corullón, Alvaro and Ricardo believe they have found a unique combination of soils, old vines, and a distinctive variety that will yield their own grands crus. Beginning with 2001, the estate began to make their case with individual vineyard bottlings.

The winery is dedicated to Alvaro's father, and Ricardo's grandfather, who passed away in early 2000. The wines are a worthy tribute to the man who inspired them.

Up to seven wines are made. The first, Pétalos del Bierzo,   is assembled from old hillside and hilltop vines from across Bierzo's western edge. The wine is vinified for immediate appeal, but it retains the estate's signature finesse and restraint.

Corullón is an assemblage from old-vine parcels in and around this town. Its combination of generosity and precision makes a case not only for Corullón's special status, but also the superiority of Alvaro's and Ricardo's winemaking.

The estate also produces up to four extraordinary single-vineyard wines: San Martin, Moncerbal, Las Lamas and La Faraona. Each is a distinctive expression of a remarkable and compelling terroir.

All the wines from the Priorat and Bierzo on SALE!

2022 ALVARIO PALACIOS "CAMINS" PRIORAT
Price: $33.00                   Your Price: $29.04
(92 Points) This elegant red shows lovely balance and accessibility, offering fine-grained tannins enmeshed with flavors of ripe black raspberry, plum, crushed pine and milled pepper, plus a lively touch of mandarin orange peel. Lingering and lightly chewy on the finish. Garnacha, Samso, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Drink now through 2032.  Wine Spectator

2021 ALVARO PALACIOS GRATALLOPS PRIORAT
Price: $75.00                   Your Price: $66.00
(94-96 Points)The blend of the 2021 Gratallops was higher in Cariñena than in the 2020 (25%), which resulted in a wine with a lower pH (3.37), the tendency that makes the 2021s more vibrant. They used some 40% full clusters for the fermentation (rather than adding the stems like in the past). The wine has acid berry freshness; and right now it's a bit difficult with the tannins and the acidity, but one more year of élevage should make it more polished. It should be long-lived and fresh. The expect some 17,300 bottles to be filled around April 2023. (LG) WINE ADVOCATE 9/2022

2018 ALVARO PALACIOS GRATALLOPS Priorat
Price: $69.00                   Your Price: $55.20              Quantity in Stock: 2
(94 Points) The "vi de vila" or village wine 2018 Gratallops was produced with a blend of 74% Garnacha, 25% Cariñena and 1% white varieties that were crushed and destemmed and then fermented in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. The wine matured in oak containers of different sizes, bocoyes and oval foudres, for 15 months. This is the most approachable and open of the 2018s, aromatic and with the characterful profile of wet slate, nuts, Mediterranean herbs and acid berries. It has a lively palate with great acidity but especially with complete but sustained freshness. It has fine tannins and is nicely textured. Textbook Priorat. 18,740 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2020.

Álvaro Palacios is on a roll with the 2018s, which are impressive across the range, not only in Priorat but in Bierzo and Rioja too. In Priorat, he has 47 hectares of vineyards, 42 of them in the village of Gratallops. Like what happened with Rioja, they saw a return to more normal conditions with the 2018 vintage, more classic weather. Palacios calls it a "reunion" with snow, which he says always seems to bring something magic. There was more rain in the spring and the dry, Mediterranean summer, with a special moment during the harvest when heavy rains appeared, so he decided to wait and give time for the grapes to soak it up; the alcoholic degree went down and the wines also have more acidity. 2018 has something of 2010, 2012 and 2016 but with more finesse, 2018 being a more powerful but more elegant version of 2016, which are the two most elegant vintages of recent times for Palacios. There is a little more Cariñena in most of the wines from 2018. Also, there is a new wine in 2018, La Baixada. 2019 is a unique year, highly concentrated, like a warm and dry version of the already unique 2013. Annual production averages 415,000 bottles.  June 2020 Week 3, The Wine Advocate

2017 ALVARO PALACIOS FINCA DOFI PRIORAT (375 ML)
Price: $49.00                   Your Price: $43.12              Quantity in Stock: 2
2017 ALVARO PALACIOS FINCA DOFI PRIORAT MAGNUM 1.5L
Price: $285.00                 Your Price: $250.80              Quantity in Stock: 1
(95 points) The single-vineyard 2017 Finca Dofí comes from ten hectares that were planted 20 years ago in the village of Gratallops. It's mostly Garnacha with 8% Cariñena and 1% white grapes that fermented after being destemmed and lightly crushed in oak vats with indigenous yeasts. It matured in large oak barrels (bocoyes and foudres) for 16 months. There is no trace of oak in the wines, and there are no edges; they all feel sleek and elegant. This Dofí expresses the Mediterranean vintage from this vineyard at 300 to 320 meters in altitude, where the slate has a lot of iron, which turns the soils red and makes round and velvety wines, with flavors of red cherries, cherry pit, nectarines and even blood orange. The warm soils are compensated by mostly northern exposures. The palate has volume and is juicy, sensual and velvety, with some fine-grained tannins that currently call for food. It makes for a very gastronomical red. 29,700 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2019. In 2018, there will be a separate bottling from one hectare of pure north-exposition grapes from Dofí, a new wine called La Baixada.Robert Parker's Wine Advocate   082019

2020 ALVARO PALACIOS FINCA DOFI PRIORAT
Price: $115.50                 Your Price: $101.64              Quantity in Stock: 9
(96 points)  "The single-vineyard 2020 Finca Dofí comes from the 14 hectares of vines planted across three parajes (lieu-dits) in Gratallops, a blend of 83% Garnacha, 12% Cariñena, 4% Picapoll—a grape with low sugar and high acidity (good for climate change) that he regrafted some four years ago—and 1% white grapes: Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo, all fermented in oak vats with 10% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in large oak barrels (bocoyes and foudres) for 15 months. It has good ripeness, 14.5% alcohol and a soft texture with nice balance, good freshness and fine tannins. 18,778 bottles and some other larger and smaller formats produced. (09/30/22)." -Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate):

2021 ALVARO PALACIOS FINCA DOFI PRIORAT MAGNUM
Price: $322.50                 Your Price: $283.80              Quantity in Stock: 2
2021 ALVARO PALACIOS FINCA DOFI PRIORAT
Price: $127.50                 Your Price: $112.20              Quantity in Stock: 4
(96-98 Points) The more backward of the 2021s was the 2021 Finca Dofí, which was very primary and smelled almost like the fermentation vessels, and it took time in the glass to open up. The blend is higher in Garnacha and they couldn't use the Picapoll, as it didn't work well that cool year, so it's 90% Garnacha, 9% Cariñena and 1% white grapes. It achieved 14.5% alcohol but kept better freshness than in 2020, a constant in the 2021 wines. Very promising. (LG) Wine Advocateb 9/2022

2021 ALVARO PALACIOS LES AUBAGUETES PRIORAT DOCA SPAIN MAGNUM
Price: $1050.00               Your Price: $924.00
2021 ALVARO PALACIOS LES AUBAGUETES PRIORAT DOCA SPAIN 3 LITER
Price: $2250.00               Your Price: $1980.00
2021 ALVARO PALACIOS LES AUBAGUETES PRIORAT DOCA SPAIN
Price: $480.00                 Your Price: $422.40
(98 Points) The amazing sample of the 2021 Les Aubaguetes had a very complex nose with the depth and harmony of the centenary vines. The 2022 will be the first vintage classified as Gran Vinya Classificada. It is 71% Garnacha and 29% Cariñena and fermented with 55% full clusters. It has a great sense of harmony; it's both wide and long, with 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.46. This shady, north-facing and small vineyard had a lot of humidity this vintage, and the rains in early September reduced the crop.  Wine Advocate

2020 ALVARO PALACIOS LES AUBAGUETES PRIORAT DOCA SPAIN MAGNUM
Price: $975.00                 Your Price: $858.00
2020 ALVARO PALACIOS LES AUBAGUETES PRIORAT DOCA SPAIN
Price: $450.00                 Your Price: $396.00
(98 Points)  The very classical and powerful 2020 Les Aubaguetes was produced with a blend of 70% Garnacha, 27% Cariñena and 3% white grapes (that were not used in 2021), and that might be the reason why the pH is a little lower, 3.39. The grapes were picked very early, and the wine fermented with 70% full clusters. The wine is truly superb, with depth and complexity, powerful and ripe without excess (14.5% alcohol) with concentration and elegance. It feels like everything is where it should be, and it's one wine that feels even better than the 2021. 2020 was a year of mildew that decimated the crop, and there are only 1,684 bottles and some larger formats. It was bottled in April 2022.  Wine Advocate

2020 ALVARO PALACIOS L'ERMITA PRIORAT
Price: $1465.00 Your Price: $1289.20      Quantity in Stock: 1
The regional blend 2020 Camins del Priorat, produced with grapes from 101 plots from eight villages in Priorat, is a blend of 55% Garnacha, 15% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 8% Cariñena, higher in Garnacha and lower in Cariñena, like in the majority of 2019s. That gives the wines freshness and elegance, vivacity and fluidity. It fermented with the indigenous yeasts in a combination of stainless steel, oak and concrete vats and matured in barrel and oak vats for four months. This is more Priorat than any of the vintages of Camins; in reality, nobody is planting French varieties anymore and many are regrafting their vines, so in the future, the tendency could be toward more Garnacha and Cariñena in this wine. This is a very drinkable version of Camins, less dense than the 2019, from a year that was cooler with just an herbal hint. The mouthfeel is velvety with great freshness and very fine tannins. This has to be the finest Camins to date, different from previous years; it should be a commercial success. 226,000 bottles were produced. 2020 was their earliest harvest ever. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2021 ALVARO PALACIOS L'ERMITA VELLES VINYES PRIORAT DOCA SPAIN 3 LITER
Price: $6000.00 Your Price: $5280.00
2021 ALVARO PALACIOS L'ERMITA VELLES VINYES PRIORAT DOCA SPAIN MAGNUM
Price: $3300.00 Your Price: $2904.00
2021 ALVARO PALACIOS L'ERMITA VELLES VINYES PRIORAT DOCA SPAIN
Price: $1500.00 Your Price: $1320.00
(99-100 points)  The 2021 L'Ermita is a legend in the making, with 13.9% alcohol, the lowest ever, mind-boggling finesse and detail, purity, symmetry, elegance and great freshness that makes it vibrant with a low pH of 3.31 and 6.18 grams of acidity. These parameters should make it long-lived, and the wine is going to be vibrant and develop citrus nose of grapefruit and orange peel. It's a powerful wine with plenty of energy, abundant tannins, even more fine and elegant than those from the 2020 I tasted next to it, and with great balance. It has a high percentage of Cariñena, much higher than the 2020, and comes down to 75% Garnacha, 24% Cariñena and 1% whites. They expect to produce some 2,800 bottles of this 2021 in April 2023. Prices will be increased around 16%. - Luis Gutierrez  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2021 DESCENDIENTES DE J. PALACIOS PETALOS BIERZO, SPAIN
Price: $27.00                   Your Price: $23.76              Quantity in Stock: 11
(94 Points) The barrel sample of the 2021 Pétalos was lower in alcohol than ever (13.5%), and the wine felt a bit reductive and needed time in the glass to open up. That's not a bad sign in my book, and the wine was lighter, a little narrower (a bit the style of the year), with finesse and freshness (despite not having high acidity, but it's the balance that makes it fresher), elegant and juicy, with very fine, chalky tannins. 2021 saw a good crop and, except for Las Lamas and La Faraona, volumes are similar, even a little more in Pétalos, because the early-harvested vineyards delivered very healthy grapes and there was no need to discard or sort the grapes, which was not the case in the vineyards that were harvested late. There will be some 280,000 bottles, and the 2021s might also have a shorter élevage.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2010 DESCENDIENTES DE PALACIOS CORULLON MONCERBAL BIERZO
Price: $150.00                 Your Price: $132.00              Quantity in Stock: 1
Villa de Corullón is built from a dizzying array of the village’s top sites, including not only Monçerbal and Las Lamas, but also San Martín and Fontelas, both of which were once notable single-vineyard bottlings. The blend also includes La Faraona’s neighbor, Ferro, along with Vasnada, María Cota, and Bruxa, each representing a different elevation, exposure, and soil. As such, Villa de Corullón is the ultimate expression of the village’s terroir. Its combination of generosity and precision makes a case not only for Corullón’s special status, but also the superiority of Álvaro’s and Ricardo’s winemaking.