Bierzo at a glance
BIERZO LIVES ON the edge: geographically on the edge of Galicia, of Asturias and of Castilla y León. It’s on the edge of Spanish wine too, never having been quite famous enough. As a denomination it’s still a stripling, not even 30 years old, even though there were vines here before the Romans. Yet when a wine from Bierzo wins a Platinum medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards two years running, then it’s time to take a second look.
The wine in question comes from Ricardo Pérez Palacios of Descendientes de J Palacios. His Villa de Corullón 2012 won the Regional Trophy for Northwest Spain Red over £15 in 2015, and the 2013 won the same accolade (now called Platinum Best in Category) in 2016, scoring 97 points. There’s every reason to suppose that his wines will continue to win plaudits. Undoubtedly in Bierzo, as in Priorat, the Palacios name is powerful. Another key influence in the story is Raúl Pérez (no relation). With their very different characters, they are driving the quality and reputation of Bierzo and the Mencía grape variety.
Mencía is known as Jaen in Portugal (and possibly brought there by pilgrims coming from the Galician capital Santiago de Compostela). In neither country was it highly rated, producing aromatic, light wines, sometimes rustic, sometimes green, and often with an awkward acidity. Pérez Palacios and Pérez, and their contemporaries, seeking out old vines on the hillsides, have transformed the perception of Mencía. 3,027ha Production (2015) 16 million kg 2,438 73 Moderately acidic, silty loam on the valley floors; more acidic soils on the slopes which are mix of minerals, quartzite and slate 450m-900m Average rainfall 720mm Average sunshine hours 2,200 Main grapes Red/rosado: Mencía (74.5%), Garnacha Tintorera/Alicante Bouschet (2%). Reds must be minimum 70% Mencía, rosados minimum 50% white: Palomino/ Listán ( 17%), Godello (4%), Doña Blanca (2.4%), Malvasía (0.1%)