Wine Advisor
Descendientes de Jose Palacios, Moncerbal 2021
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
I had already tasted the 2021 Moncerbal from barrel and found it extraordinary, so I was looking forward to this sample again. It has the bramble freshness (sometimes reminiscent of the 2013s) with good weight. It's medium-bodied with very fine tannins and pungent flavors of flowers and freshly cut grass. A great Moncerbal in the making.
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
The ultra elegant, sleek and mineral 2021 Moncerbal has amazing freshness, ultra refined tannins and lots of complexity, with layers and layers of flavors and aromas and great depth. There is a sense of harmony here that is captivating—this is pure elegance. It is floral, perfumed and velvety with very fine, chalky tannins and a sapid finish. 4,463 bottles, 107 magnums and some larger formats were filled in December 2022.
About the Producer
Descendientes de José Palacios (DJP) is one of three estates of the family of Álvaro Palacios. The 'Descendientes' are Álvaro Palacios and his nephew Ricardo Perez Palacios, both of whom grew up in the Palacios family home in Alfaro, Rioja. Both are descendents of Álvaro's father, José Palacios, who died in 2000, just as the first Bierzo wines were being prepared and for whom the Bierzo project was then named. DJP commenced in 1999, when the young Ricardo was studying permaculture in Leon, subsequent to his viticultural studies in Bordeaux. Ricardo came across some very old plantings of Mencía high on the mountain slopes above the village of Corullón, and recognised these as heritage material of great potential and importance, just as Álvaro has done a decade earlier with the remnant old autochthonous Garnatxas of Priorat. Álvaro was summoned to inspect and an immediate decision was made to invest and investigate. Ever since, Ricardo and Álvaro have been purchasing and renovating old vineyards, massale propogating heritage genetic material throughout their holdings, all the while refining how to grow and vinify Mencía.
