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Master tasting with Álvaro Palacios and Ricardo P. Palacios

09/03/2020 Breaking news

Depiction of the 2018 vintage in Rioja, Bierzo and Priorat

On February 29, Álvaro Palacios and Ricardo P. Palacios, internationally-recognized Spanish winemakers, presented in advance a depiction of what will be the 2018 vintage from the Alvaro Palacios vineyard wines in Rioja, Descendientes de J. Palacios in Bierzo and Álvaro Palacios in Priorat.

cata con alvaro palacios

This February 29, which only happens in leap years and is a day already marked by nature, has become a historic date thanks to this master tasting, something which hasn’t happened since 2013, and which on this occasion began with a Master Class by Ferran Centelles from the El Bulli Lab drinks party and who was sommelier at the El Bulli restaurant, and chef Ferran Adrià, during which they talked about ElBullifoundation projects and also offered us “a taste” of what will be the new volume of La Bullipedia, which talks about wine tasting and is part of the Sapiens del Vino.

Once this interesting presentation finished, the master tasting began, guided by Álvaro Palacios and Ricardo P. Palacios, where we could observe how the 2018 vintage of nine of the most exclusive and desirable wines in the world is described.

Wines from La Rioja

1. Quiñón de Valmira 2018

A smooth wine full of vitality, pleasure and indescribable mysteries

A red Rioja wine which originates from a calcareous podium over the Ebro Valley where the soil is colder, making the wines open and more expressive. It’s made with 90% Garnacha and 10% other red grapes which go through 18 months’ aging in fudres and bocois.

Quiñón de Valmira is already described as subtle and elegant, with the presence of citrus notes reminiscent of orange and tangerine, currants and strawberries, as delicate as a caress.

Wines from Bierzo

2. Valdafoz 2018

Deep and mystical Mencía

Plots in Corullón, possibly located on the oldest soils in Spain. Vineyards on north-facing slopes situated 700 meters high, whose grapes are harvested on the same day as those of La Faraona wine. 94% Mencía and 6% Palomino, with 14 months’ aging in barrels and fudres.

Valdafoz offers an intense color with more black highlights and a pronounced mystical, balsamic and round character in the mouth.

3. Moncerbal 2018

An explosion of enthusiasm

Anticipated vintage of a wine which wasn’t made in 2017 due to a hail storm damaging the harvest. It originates from vineyards of dolomite calcareous soils shaded from direct sunlight. 95% Mencía, 5% white grapes which go through a 14-month aging process in barrels and fudres. A smooth, fresh, balanced and subtle Berciano red.

4. Las Lamas 2018

Sensual luxury

Originating from a classified plot equivalent to a French Grand Cru Classé. 90% Mencía, 7% white grapes and 3% Alicante Bouschet with 14 months’ aging in barrels and fudres. A wine of organic spirit, voluptuous and stimulating, dense and alive, predisposed for slow evolution. It offers more vinous notes and shows its character as soon as it enters the mouth.

5. La Faraona 2018

Intriguing and otherworldly. The most disturbing from Corullón

The pure expression of a privileged heritage and location. 92% Mencía, 8% Palomino and Godello grapes. 14 months’ aging in barrels.

A wine which originates on a great classified vineyard, but one of small dimensions, on a slope of maximum altitude, a challenge for vertigo, whose surface is crossed by a fault line so the supernatural energy which goes with it is not surprising. The vines and the bunches are small but the soil they grow from is high-quality. A wine full of subtlety and elegance.

Wines from Priorat

6. Finca Dofí 2018

A sensual wine

Two sites, one single vineyard. Poor soils, but rich in minerals and with an optimal pH, which helps maintain the grape’s acidity. 90% Garnacha, 8% Cariñena, 2% white grapes (Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo) which spend 14 months in fudres and bocois. Notes of grapefruit and blood orange, graphite and compote fruit emerge. Fleshiness and seduction.

7. La Baixada 2018.

The dream of sensuality

It comes from a setting of hot land, a cold environment and living memory. A Garnacha which has earned the right to be served separately and which we’ve been able to try for the first time in its first vintage. 98% Garnacha, 2% white grapes (white Garnacha and Macabeo) with 15 months’ aging in fudres. La Baixada originates from a vineyard where iron and manganese predominate, which give the soil a higher temperature. This “hot land” means this wine is deliciously laden with sensuality. Fresh and subtle, robust and fragrant Garnacha.

8. Les Aubaguetes 2018

Liquid elegance

Its name means “the small shadows”, those plots where sunlight doesn’t arrive as strongly. A north-facing plot, the best of the old vines, caressed by the sea breeze and balanced with the freshness which comes from the north. 71% Garnacha, 28% Cariñena, 1% white grapes (white Garnacha and Macabeo). A wine of big tannins, aromatic, citrus and velvety depth.

9. L’Ermita 2018

Mystery, uniqueness and inexplicable beauty

First great classified vineyard in Spain. The landscape of harmony, intimacy and grandeur. Vines which emerge from steep slopes, scented by the breeze and with every detail taken care of from beginning to end. 78% Garnacha, 20% Cariñena, 2% white grapes (Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo, Pedro Ximénez) with 14 months’ aging in fudres and bocois where notes of compote fruit and citrus appear, with floral delicacy, elegant, sensual, complex and inexplicable. The great classic.

A tremendous end to a historic and unforgettable tasting organized by the Vila Viniteca distributor where 402 privileged people could try these nine great wines. In total, 363 bottles were uncorked and 150 decanters were used for preparing them and 4,000 wine glasses for serving them. An impeccable staging made possible by approximately 70 people.

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