Descendientes de J. Palacios Villa de Corullón 2023

Villa de Corullón comes from the village of Corullón, in Bierzo, in north-western Castile and León, on the edge of Galicia. The estate owns more than two hundred plots here, of which around ninety were selected for this cuvée. The vines, often very old, cling to steep schist slopes between 500 and 950 metres, in a climate at the crossroads of Atlantic and continental influences that preserves freshness and finesse.

The vines have been farmed organically and biodynamically since the estate was founded in 1999. The hand-harvested grapes are partially destemmed and then ferment with native yeasts in wooden vats. The wine is then aged for around ten months in barrels, bocoyes and foudres before bottling.

This wine reveals notes of black cherry, wild blackberry, raspberry, violet, black pepper, graphite, flint and dried herbs. The stony, serious palate recalls the classic profile of Bierzo, focused less on fruit than on rock. Fine tannins and an airy texture lead to an elegant, chiselled finish.

The history of wine in Spain is so ancient that no one really knows who first brought the vines to the region. By the time the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was already well established, and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a winemaking miracle. After years on the sidelines of the world of fine wines, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often high in alcohol), and spicy reds that are gaining popularity with international consumers. Proud to have more land dedicated to vines than any other country, Spain is only now beginning to capitalize on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is a chaotic jumble of regions and subregions, much like its landscape is a chaotic jumble of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity among Spain's many wine regions, from the lush, green vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the parched vineyards of the southeastern Mediterranean. Spain's saving grace for viticulture is the average altitude of its vineyards, which is over 600 meters. Many Spanish vineyards are thus able to produce grapes with good color and acidity simply because nighttime temperatures are relatively low and the grapes don't ripen until after a sufficiently long growing season. But there is a real treasure trove to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all sorts of ambitious investors have done their part to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun to craft spectacular wines and experiment with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable not so long ago. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.