Descendientes de Jose Palacios : Villa de Corullon 2024

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for Villa de Corullón 2024 by Descendientes de José Palacios

Serving and Cellaring

Villa de Corullón 2024 should be stored at a maximum temperature of 12°C and contains sulfites. Its optimal drinking window begins from the fifth year in bottle, and it has strong ageing potential. We recommend decanting it at least one hour before serving to allow it to express itself fully.

Villa de Corullón 2024, the Authenticity of Bierzo by Descendientes de José Palacios

The Estate

Founded in 1999 by Álvaro Palacios and his nephew Ricardo Pérez Palacios, Descendientes de José Palacios quickly established itself as a benchmark of the Bierzo, in Castile and León. The estate, still run today by these same two owners, is built on a vineyard divided into more than 200 micro-plots of old Mencía vines, farmed biodynamically. A pioneer of this approach in Spain, the estate has played a major role in revealing the quality potential of the Bierzo and its slate hillsides, following an approach inspired by Burgundy's hierarchy of terroirs.

The Vineyard

Villa de Corullón 2024 comes from the village of Corullón, in the heart of the Bierzo, from 200 small family plots spread over 7.93 hectares. The Paleozoic-era soils are heterogeneous and rest on schist with varying orientations, with compositions combining quartzite, silica, marble and sandstone, giving sandy, silty or clayey structures. The vines, aged 60 to 100 years, are bush-trained on very steep slopes at altitudes between 500 and 950 metres, and are exposed to a continental climate with a strong Atlantic influence (1,223.80 mm of annual rainfall). Farming is certified organic and biodynamic, with no irrigation or crop thinning, and the soil is worked with the help of mules. Yields are deliberately limited to 23 hl/hectare, and the harvest is entirely by hand, with strict selection.

The Vintage

2024 was rated an excellent vintage in the Bierzo. The harvest took place from 12 September to 5 October 2024, respecting the natural ripening rhythm of each plot.

Winemaking and Ageing

To produce this Spanish wine, the grapes were partially destemmed and crushed, followed by alcoholic fermentation in oak vats, with regular punching down and indigenous yeasts. Maceration lasted 41 days, after which malolactic fermentation took place spontaneously in wooden and stainless steel vats. Ageing lasted 7 months in foudres, bocoyes and barriques. The wine was neither fined, cold-stabilised nor filtered, in order to preserve the integrity of its substance.

Grape Varieties

The blend of Villa de Corullón 2024 is 93% Mencía, complemented by 5% white varieties (Jerez) and 2% red varieties (Alicante Bouschet and Estaladiña).