Descendientes de J.Palacios Petalos vinas viejas Bierzo 2022

Ruby red colour with a fruity note on the nose of strawberries, ripe currants and blueberries are followed by floral, violets and some spices and light licorice. Aged in 10 months in French oak, the wine is fresh and aromatic, a great combination of ripeness with cool climate freshness. Everything is fine and in harmony with a silky texture.

Serve slightly below room temperature to highlight its layered complexity. This elegant Mencía is a perfect match for grilled lamb, slow-roasted pork or earthy mushroom dishes. It also pairs beautifully with aged cheeses and charcuterie.

Bierzo is home to the Mencía grape, often grown on very steep, precipitous slopes on pre-Cumbrian soils, some of the oldest soils in Europe. The region's, and indeed Palacios's, most famous vineyard 'La Faraona' is at the highest point of the hill of Corullón, at an altitude of almost 1000 meters and lies on a tectonic fault. This combination of altitude, old vines and complex geology gives an incredibly intricate, ethereal and spell-binding wine. Indeed, these Mencia-based wines, down to the region's flagship wine, Petalos, perfectly express the wild and untamed character of Bierzo. look for aromas of wild thyme, dried lavender and roses, underpinned by an underlying graphite-like minerality.