Descendientes de J. Palacios Bierzo Villa Corullon 2024 750ml

The 2024 Corullón when just poured reminds me of a Northern Rhône Syrah with its notes of olives, and with time in the glass, it develops an acute note of licorice, showing the many sides of Mencía. It comes from a puzzle of 90 small plots on slate and quartz soils and is approximately 93% Mencía, 5% Jerez (the white Palomino) and 1% each Alicante Bouschet and Estaladiña. It fermented with a maceration time of 41 days in oak vats with punching down and is currently aging in barrel. 2024 is a year when they harvested at different times than usual, but the result is superb. Each year is different, especially now. They pick the grapes when they start tasting of wine rather than looking at parameters of tannins. They were puzzled during the fermentations, but the result has been fantastic. The wine comes in at 13.5% alcohol and a pH of 3.83. This is a patchwork from many different components, and therefore, they have more room for blending and discarding. For example, the rains during the harvest affected this wine less than the single-vineyard or paraje wines. It’s also aromatic and floral, elegant, fine and super balanced, with a silky mouthfeel. This is also one of the fines vintages for Corullón, which is still a bargain for the price. 23,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2026.