100% Viura (aka Macabeo) from 34-year-old, organically farmed vines, on a soft slope of the Monte Yerga in Alfaro, Rioja. It fermented in oval oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in 2,000-liter oak foudres. Only 18,400 bottles produced.
White wine with aromas of orange blossom, white pear and brioche, a hint of chamomile. It's young and tender but already harmonious and showing the purity and precision that seem to be the signature of Alvaro Palacios. This is still quite primary and reveals good freshness and harmony. It has a pleasant bitter twist in the finish.
Alvaro Palacios, born into a wine family in Rioja, now makes wine in 3 different appellations: Priorat, Bierzo, and his hometown of Alfaro in Rioja Oriental. Following the death of his father in 2000, Alvaro Palacios took the helm of Palacios Remondo, his family’s property and winery in Rioja Baja, now called “Rioja Oriental”.
The Palacios Remondo Estate and vineyards are located in the the most Southerly of the Rioja vineyards.
Rioja Oriental centres on the rich silty soils of the River Ebro, at quite considerable altitude (550 metres).
Historically, Garnacha is the dominant red grape in Rioja Oriental, while Tempranillo and the white grape Viura play supporting roles.
La Montesa, Propiedad, Plácet Valtomelloso and La Vendimia are among the very finest of Rioja Oriental, full-bodied wines with aromas of Mediterranean herbs, cherries and nectarines, and flavors of mixed berries and blood oranges on the palate.
Palacios is deeply committed to organic viticulture and natural winemaking practices, such as use of organic fertilizers in the stone-covered, clay soils. All of the wines are unfiltered and clarified only with egg whites. No exogenous yeasts or commercial compounds are added to the wines, and sulfites are kept to minimum levels.