Descendientes de J. Palacios Descendientes de J. Palacios Pétalos 2022 750ml

2021 is clearly the finest vintage of the trio of 2020, 2021 and 2022, and the bottled 2021 Pétalos delivers what the unbottled samples promised: a wine with lower alcohol than ever (13.5%), lighter, a little narrower but with the juiciness of Mencía that seems to come back after some time in bottle. It has lots of notes of aromatic herbs, with some similar aromas to the La Faraona. It’s quite expressive and showy, very pleasant and easy to drink, very gourmand, with a velvety mouthfeel and very fine tannins. 320,000 bottles and 2,567 magnums produced. It was bottled between November 2022 and March 2023. Approachable now, very hedonistic. (Luis Gutiérrez)

The 2022 Pétalos was produced with 85% Mencía, 10% white grapes and 5% other reds from over 90 hectares, 20% owned by them and the rest from 180 families. It fermented with some full clusters in oak and stainless steel vats and matured in barrels of different sizes for 10 months. It's clearly more Mediterranean, with notes of rockrose and other aromatic herbs, juicy and round, more fruit-driven, aromatic, velvety and very pleasant and easy to drink. It has 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.54. It's still not all bottled, as it's done in different lots, for a total of around 270,000 bottles and 3,000 magnums.

A soft red, offering depth and focus, with flavors of crushed mulberry and blackberry fruit, black olive, mountain herbs, pepper and paprika. Yet this is harmonious throughout, integrating supple, fine-grained tannins and plum skin–infused acidity. A minerally underpinning of smoke and crushed gravel emerges to drive the refined finish. Drink now through 2036.

Notes of black olives, hibiscus, ripe red cherries and some baked berries. Still quite juicy, with fine-boned tannins and a full-bodied palate. Round, structured and long. Drink now. (Zekun Shuai)

The 2023 Pétalos is a Mencía from Bierzo that blends fruit from both the lowlands and the slopes of Corullón in equal parts. Focused and precise, it offers hints of violet, wild herbs and fresh plum with touches of cherry and pomegranate. This is medium-bodied, juicy and supple, with delicate freshness and grippy tannins. Compared to the 2022, it feels more resolved and less compact, yet this retains its talc-like texture and a faint pink note.

The 2022 Pétalos is Mencía & others from Bierzo. About 30% of the grapes come from Corullón, with the rest from the valley. In an infusion-like style, the 2022 offers pomegranate, dried flower and violet hints in a reductive context. It finishes compact and slate-textured, with fine fruit flavors. Fresh on the palate, it mirrors its aromatic profile.