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| Pétalos 2012. |
Wine review
4 of 5 stars
A very good wine
Every now and then I get inspired by a wine article. This
time it was Matt Kramer’s story about fantastic grape varietals that might have
sneaked under the wine lovers’ radar. His description of the Spanish variety Mencia
as ”broad-shouldered Pinot Noir” got me galloping towards the wine shop, and
I’m grateful it did. Otherwise I could have overlooked this marvellous wine
discovery.
As a reminder of its youth, this wine has a purple tint to
its deep ruby hue. Pétalos (Eng. petals), faithful to its name, immediately
exhibits a garden of flowers on the nose including roses, violets and even
lilies. Dark fruit - cherries, both fresh and dried, and blackcurrants - follow
the floral aromas. Strikingly, for a wine this age, there are further layers of
developed earthy and autumnal herbaceous tones like fallen leaves and slate minerality.
Astonishing complexity!
The layers of aromas of the nose continue on the palate. Cherries,
herbs and minerality are evident. However, fruitiness shows restraint, which
results in a fine balance with medium acidity and ripe, fine grained tannins of
moderate quantity. Although there is a substantial amount of alcohol, the
mouthfeel is elegantly medium-bodied and very dry. Paradoxally, this voluminous
and mouth-filling wine leaves a featherlight impression. The dry finish with
cherry and blackcurrant is long.
To fully appreciate this complex, medium-bodied wine, I
would pair it with aromatic Spanish tapas, flavourful risotto or pasta.
Charcuterie and hard cheeses would work as well. Avoiding chilli is a good idea
since this otherwise airy and elegant wine has a high alcohol content.
A balanced, elegant and complex wine of great value. Highly
recommended.
Info in a nutshell
Price examples:
EUR 12,35 webshop
santacecilia.es
USD 16,96 webshop canalswine.com
GBP 18,95 wine shop Majesticwine, UK
DKK 140 (EUR 18) wine shop Vin Specialisten, Copenhagen,
Denmark
Country and region: Bierzo, Spain
Grape: Mencia 100%?
Alc vol: 14,5%
Producer: Descendientes de J. Palacios
Background
Bierzo has had a reputation of producing simple, fruity red
wines. Known mainly by locals it remained in the back seat of wine producing
Spain until 1990’s. At that time, Alvario Palacios and Ricardo Perez Palacios
entered into the picture bringing change. Descendientes de J. Palacios
commenced to produce characterful Mencia wines from old vines using biodynamic
and organic farming and vinification methods. They decided to make single
vineyard wines from vines growing on steep slopes, while the common fruity and
light Bierzo were products of vineyards located low in the valleys. Currently, Descendientes
de J. Palacios owns around 200 little vineyards located high on slate slopes
where only manual tending to the vines is possible. As their Mencia wines in
general, Pétalos has had several excellent vintages in a row. Amongst them,
2012 might be one of the most impressive.
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