Spain · Castilla y León

Descendientes de J. Palacios

Descendientes de J. Palacios is the Bierzo estate of Alvaro Palacios and his nephew Ricardo Perez Palacios, established in 1999 to explore the potential of old-vine Mencia on the ancient slate and quartzite hillside vineyards of El Bierzo in northwestern Spain. The project rescued neglected pre-phylloxera vineyards above the villages of Corullon and Villafranca del Bierzo, with La Faraona — a 0.6-hectare plot of 100+ year-old Mencia vines above Corporales — becoming one of Spain's most coveted red wines. At auction, 144 lots have traded at an average of $274, spanning from $2 to $1,121. La Faraona averages $497 across 17 lots, with annual production of 600-800 bottles and 97-100-point scores from Parker and Suckling making it one of Spain's most aggressively priced auction wines. Petalos, the estate's entry-level Bierzo, averages $59. Las Lamas and Villa Corullon represent the mid-tier single-vineyard range, regularly scoring 93-96. Alvaro Palacios's reputation from Priorat (L'Ermita) anchors the portfolio's secondary market credibility.