Álvaro Palacios, from Priorat to Rioja and Bierzo

A winemaker born into a Rioja family, trained notably in Bordeaux, who arrived in Gratallops in the late 1980s. With a handful of pioneers who settled around the village, he brought Priorat back to life. He has since taken over the family estate, Palacios Remondo, and launched a project in Bierzo with his nephew. See our Priorat wines.

L'Ermita, a wine from very old Grenache planted on the slate slopes of Gratallops, ranks among the most sought-after wines in Spain. We offer L'Ermita 2021 at €1,350 a bottle. Its little sister, Finca Dofí 2021, sells for €99.90 a bottle and gives a good idea of the style.

With the base of the pyramid. La Vendimia 2018, at €13.50 a bottle by the case of 6, shows the fruit of Rioja Oriental. Camins del Priorat 2023, at €26.90 a bottle by the case of 6, is the gateway to the Gratallops estate. Then move up to Gratallops Vi de Vila.

The Palacios family estate, in Alfaro, in Rioja Oriental, the hottest and most Mediterranean part of Rioja. Álvaro Palacios took over its management and champions Grenache there, long relegated behind Tempranillo. The estate makes La Vendimia, La Montesa and the white Plácet. See also our Rioja selection.

Mencía, a red grape variety from north-western Spain. Descendientes de J. Palacios, the estate run by Álvaro and his nephew Ricardo Pérez, farms it biodynamically on steep slate slopes. Pétalos 2021 smells of flowers and red fruit, at €23 a bottle by the case of 6. The grape has its own selection.

Vi de Vila, “village wine” in Catalan, denotes a Priorat made from the vines of a single village within the appellation. It is the tier between blended Priorat and single-plot wines. Gratallops Vi de Vila 2021, Grenache and Carignan, sells for €66 a bottle, or €62.67 a bottle in a lot of 3.

It depends on the tier. La Vendimia is best drunk within five years, for its fruit. Camins del Priorat, La Montesa and Pétalos benefit from five to ten years. Finca Dofí, La Baixada, Les Aubaguetes and L'Ermita are wines with great ageing potential, to forget for ten years or more in a cool cellar.

These dense Grenaches love roast meats and slow-cooked dishes. A leg or shoulder of lamb, a civet or a cut of game, a grilled rib of beef. Decant the single-plot wines an hour before serving and serve them at around 16–17 °C.

For the most part, yes. The family farms organically and biodynamically, harvests by hand and ferments with the grapes' own yeasts, in Priorat as in Rioja and Bierzo. Find other committed estates in our organic wine and biodynamic wine selections.