Alvaro Palacios 2016 vintage preview
Sarah Jane Evans MW tastes the latest wines from Alvaro Palacios...
Alvaro Palacios might be expected to take a step back, given the recent accolades of Decanter’s 2015 Man of the Year and the Institute of Masters of Wine’s 2016 Winemaker of the Year.
His celebrity status means he is in ever greater demand to represent his portfolio worldwide, yet his commitment to pushing forward on quality in the vineyard remained evident at the 2016 en primeur tasting in London (or, as he sensibly prefers to call it, ‘the wine tasting of the 2016 vintage in advance’).
Scroll down for Sarah Jane’s Alvaro Palacios 2016 tasting notes
2016 was an exceptional year in Priorat. Just 35 litres of rain fell between June and September, but the vines are well adapted and the result has been wonderfully aromatic wines with lively freshness.
There were periods of drought in Rioja also, but the Garnacha tolerated it and the proof is in Quiñón de Valmira’s lovely aromatics.
Alvaro Palacios’ nephew Ricardo Pérez Palacios, working in Bierzo under the Descendientes de J Palacios label, did not lack for rain, by contrast.
A cool, straightforward summer led to what is known as an Atlantic vintage with the wines showing fine elegance.
Sarah Jane’s Alvaro Palacios 2016 tasting notes:
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Álvaro Palacios, Quiñon de Valmira, Rioja, Northern Spain, Spain, 2016
Garnacha's reputation is being transformed with wines like these. Rioja Baja (or Rioja Oriental, as Alvaro Palacios prefers to call it) has exceptional sites for...
2016
Álvaro PalaciosRioja
Descendientes de J Palacios, La Faraona, Corullón, Bierzo, Spain, 2016
It's the tectonic fault with its mineral complexity that sets the 0.55ha of this vineyard apart in Bierzo. It is aromatically precise with fine cedar...
2016
Descendientes de J PalaciosCorullón
Álvaro Palacios, Finca Dofí Gratallops, Priorat, Catalonia, Spain, 2016
There is almost no need to do more than savour the sumptuous aroma of violets, blueberry conserve and fine cedar. However the palate is...
2016
Álvaro PalaciosPriorat
Álvaro Palacios, Les Aubaguetes Bellmunt del Priorat, Priorat, Catalonia, Spain, 2016
Les Aubaguetes just gets better. The Cariñena brings a vivid blast of limpid blue fruit to the blend, which is plump and textured with fine...
2016
Álvaro PalaciosPriorat
Descendientes de J Palacios, Las Lamas, Corullón, Bierzo, Spain, 2016
Gloriously floral with violets on the nose. A supple, silky entry; superbly fresh, almost crunchy with rosy plums. It drives through to a savoury, intense...
2016
Descendientes de J PalaciosCorullón
Álvaro Palacios, Gratallops Vi de Vila, Priorat, Catalonia, Spain, 2016
Gratallops has the character of a noisy teenager, well built, full of energy, bold and outspoken. Brambly and spicy, the wine's power is pinned down...
2016
Álvaro PalaciosPriorat
Descendientes de J Palacios, Villa de Corullón, Corullón, Bierzo, Spain, 2016
Delicately aromatic with brambles, redcurrants and garrigue, and a smoky edge. Bursting with juice in the mouth, it is balanced by a rasp of fine...
2016
Descendientes de J PalaciosCorullón
Descendientes de J Palacios, Moncerbal, Corullón, Bierzo, Spain, 2016
Moncerbal, with its more rocky soils, makes elegant, aromatic wines. This year it's all about cranberries with superfine green tea tannins. A vivid line of...
2016
Descendientes de J PalaciosCorullón
