Descendientes Palacios Corullon 2020

2020 Villa de Corullón
Descendientes de José Palacios
Corullon, Bierzo, Spain
$47.99 on 3+
$49.99 on 1

From some of the highest altitude vineyard in Spain, Mencia from Corullon is just not the same as any other in Spain, let alone the rest of Bierzo that are several thousand feet below these vineyards tucked way up in the mountains that tower over the majestic little village of Bierzo.  As you can see from my photos, we were in some very beautiful country in Northeastern Spain.

VINEYARD
Vine age ranges from 60 - 100 years old from a selection of parcels around the village of Corullon in Bierzo.

ORIENTATION
Very steep slopes (30-50 degrees) at altitudes ranging from 400 to 900 meters

SOIL
100% friable schist.

VITICULTURE
Everything is done by hand or mule. Practicing Organic and Biodynamic.

VINIFICATION
The grapes are harvested by hand, sorted and destemmed by hand. They macerate for 25 days in oak fermentors with hand punch down. Spontaneous fermentation. No fining or filtering.

MATURATION
Aged in French oak, all of which was previously used either for past vintages of Corullon or to have briefly aged Petalos.

97 Wine Advocate
I was blown away by the 2020 wines in barrel in June 2021 and found the 2020 Villa de Corullón very ready, open, expressive, floral and ethereal. It destroyed the idea I had of a warm and ripe 2020. Ricardo Pérez Palacios told me he was thinking of bottling the 2020s earlier, as they didn't need a long élevage, just nine or 10 months in barrel. The wine is pale, the palest Corullón ever, with 13.7% alcohol—perhaps the vines got blocked and didn't develop more color compounds or sugar. The wine makes me think of a red from Jura; it has a different profile and is more delicate, ethereal and full of light and energy. Pérez, who hates comparisons with other regions, couldn't stop saying that it felt like a Morey Saint Denis! It's all flowers and red fruit, with a lot of super fine tannins (the 2019 tannins are rougher) that are round and give it a velvety texture with no rusticity—elegant and balanced. There is a nice balance between tannin and acidity, something this has in common with the 2019, which makes the vintages quite unusual, because being warm, the wines show balance. Today, it feels more like Moncerbal than the Moncerbal bottling; nevertheless, Corullón is around 40% from Moncerbal. ... It has to be my favorite Corullón to date. 22,183 bottles and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in October 2021.