[Agyeong Wine Cellar] "For Emotional Resonance" Alb?ro Palacios Becomes a Classic

<2> Spain's 'Alvaro Palacios'

Pioneered the harsh Priorat in 1989... Reborn as the top region
'L'Ermita' the world's best Garnacha wine
Proven expertise with successive successes in Bierzo and Rioja

Editor's NoteThere is no wine under the sky that is the same. Even if grapes grown on the same land every year are brewed and aged in the same way, the results differ each time. Wine is a 'drink of chance' created by the harmony of humans and nature. Wines that silently disappear after leaving only one intense memory all carry fascinating stories. 'Akyung Wine Cellar' shares one by one the stories of wines that are made and matured according to different circumstances.

"Every generation laughs at the old fashions. But the classic is forever in the human history." - Henry David Thoreau

We call something that possesses timeless permanence a classic. Humans, inherently distant from permanence, paradoxically crave classics more than any other beings due to their finiteness. Alvaro Palacios was no different. However, he did not just yearn; he threw himself into an impossible dream. Now, over 30 years later, the world calls him a classic.

A view of ?lvaro Palacios's 'L'Ermita' vineyard located in Priorat, Catalonia, Spain.

Son of a Spanish Winery... Finding Answers in France

Alvaro Palacios chose to challenge from the start. Born into a renowned wine family in Rioja, Spain’s representative wine region, he wanted to see and learn from more advanced regions. He studied enology in Bordeaux, France, and had the opportunity to work at Chateau Petrus, which produces one of the world’s finest wines, Petrus. There, he witnessed firsthand how Jean-Pierre Moueix, the era’s top winemaker, created classic wines.

He says his experience in France helped him understand terroir?the total natural environment surrounding a vineyard. Watching how they delicately analyzed and classified terroir to apply it to wine taught him the direction and methods high-quality wines should follow, deepening his desire to blend various natural elements into wine in his own way. At the same time, global interest in Spanish wines was gradually growing. Alvaro wanted to show the world special Spanish wines. So, he returned to Spain.

Albalo Palacios is explaining about wineries and wine at 'Dowoon Space' in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

However, he did not settle in his hometown Rioja but in Priorat, a region in Catalunya. Priorat, located about 20 km from the Mediterranean Sea in eastern Spain, is a rugged mountainous area over 1000 meters above sea level with very poor soil. Although Priorat has a long history as a wine region dating back to the 12th century when the Carthusian monastery of Escaladei from France settled and cultivated vineyards, at the time Alvaro aimed to settle, it was a modest region producing cheap bulk wines centered around cooperatives.

While many shook their heads at the region, Alvaro saw its potential. He wanted to do something special that only he could do there. Above all, he saw promise in the old vines (grapevines of great age) growing in the region and the unique slate soil called 'Llicorella.' He purchased old Garnacha vineyards planted between 1900 and 1940 and established a winery under his own name in 1989.

Rising as the World's Best Garnacha Producer

A view of ?lvaro Palacios' 'L'Ermita' vineyard located in Priorat, Catalonia, Spain.

Alvaro Palacios rebuilt old vineyards and planted new ones, mainly with Spanish native varieties Garnacha Tinta and Carinena. Garnacha, known as Grenache in France, is a drought- and heat-resistant variety that thrives in hot, dry climates like Spain’s but requires a long growing period due to its relatively fast bud break and late ripening. Therefore, if harvested after full ripeness, it can produce wines with rich fruit flavors.

Alvaro achieved outstanding results especially with Garnacha. He adopted a method of drastically reducing yields from old Garnacha vines to enhance the concentration and complexity of individual berries and improve aging potential. His modern-style Garnacha wines completely overturned the existing perception of Garnacha as a low-quality variety with only high alcohol, establishing it as an elegant and delicate premium variety. Priorat’s status also dramatically changed, becoming Spain’s finest red wine region today. All this was accomplished within ten years of Alvaro settling in Priorat.

Part-time job at Palacios' 'L’Ermita'

Among the wines of Alvaro Palacios, one of the world’s best Garnacha producers, the pinnacle is 'L’Ermita.' Meaning a small chapel on a mountain top, L’Ermita is a tiny vineyard of about 2 hectares, where old bush vines grow naturally without artificial shaping. The L’Ermita vineyard is mainly located on steep north-facing slopes with well-draining slate soil, an ideal terroir for producing wines that combine flamboyant aromatics with elegance and delicacy.

Since its first vintage in 1993, L’Ermita has received critical acclaim and is regarded as a world-class wine. The most recent vintage, 'L’Ermita 2021,' which received a perfect 100-point score from renowned critic Robert Parker, is a blend of 78% Garnacha, 20% Carinena, and 2% other white varieties, with an alcohol content of 14.5% full-bodied wine. It offers profound aromas of toasted bread, blackberry, espresso, licorice, and minerals, with tannins that feel almost sweet. Despite its intense flavor, it is flawlessly elegant like finely woven silk.

A New Land of Challenge, Bierzo

As an Alba, Palacios currently operates vineyards and wineries in three regions: Priorat, Bierzo, and Rioja.

Currently, Alvaro Palacios operates vineyards and wineries in three regions: Priorat, Bierzo, and Rioja. Having risen as Spain’s representative wine producer through his success in Priorat, Alvaro embarked on a new challenge, focusing on Bierzo in northwestern Spain. Located in the mountains bordering Galicia and the Meseta Central, Bierzo benefits from a mild climate and cooling sea breezes from the Atlantic, making it one of Spain’s coolest and most humid regions.

He was attracted to Bierzo’s evergreen scenery throughout the four seasons, contrasting with the dry Priorat. The region also has a long history of vineyards dating back to Roman times and is near the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, imbuing it with strong religious spirituality. In 1999, Alvaro purchased vineyards in the mountain village of Corullon and established the winery 'Descendientes de J. Palacios,' meaning descendants of his father, Jose Palacios.

'Descendientes de J. Palacios' vineyard landscape. Due to the steep slope, machinery cannot be used, so grapes are cultivated using only people and mules.

In Bierzo, Alvaro focused on the Mencia variety. Like Garnacha, Mencia is a native Spanish grape known for its natural acidity and red fruit aromas, often with herbal notes, gaining increasing attention in the industry. Among Alvaro’s Mencia wines, the most well-known is 'Petalos.' Despite being a basic-level wine, Petalos uses grapes from old vines aged 60 to 100 years. The deep roots reaching mineral-rich slate layers impart rich minerality and good acidity to the wine.

Innovation Achieved in Hometown Rioja

When Alvaro began his new challenge in Bierzo, he faced an unexpected event: the passing of his father, who led the family business in their hometown Rioja. Before his death, his father entrusted him with 'Palacios Remondo,' the family winery. Although his brothers were already involved in the winery, his father believed Alvaro was the right person to lead the family business.

A panoramic view of the 'Palacios Remondo' vineyard located in La Rioja, Spain.

Before Alvaro took charge of winemaking, Palacios Remondo was a typical Spanish winery producing wine using grapes from its own vineyards and those purchased from surrounding areas. However, Alvaro prioritized quality over quantity. Judging that the 100 hectares of vineyards established by his father since the 1960s were of considerable quality, he stopped producing wine from purchased grapes and focused on estate-grown grapes. He converted all cultivation methods to organic farming and drastically reduced yields per unit area, cutting the number of wine types by more than half. Although production volume dropped to about a quarter, the modern wines made organically from estate vineyards proved that his success in Priorat was no coincidence.

In Rioja, Alvaro also produces distinctive Garnacha wines. While Tempranillo is the most widely planted red grape in Rioja, Alvaro makes Garnacha-centered wines reflecting the relatively dry and warm character of Rioja Oriental in the eastern part of the region. His flagship wine, 'Quinon de Valmira,' is made from Garnacha grapes grown at 615 meters above sea level. It features a long-lasting texture, rich minerality, and slightly high alcohol content, expressing the characteristics of Rioja wines with balanced acidity and maturity.

Part-time job at Palacios' 'Valmira (Quinon de Valmira)'

"Classic Wines Give Emotional Resonance"

Interior view of the winery of 'Descendientes de J. Palacios' in Bierzo, Spain.

Although L’Ermita, considered one of Spain’s top cult wines and seemingly flawless, was not always as it is today. Alvaro says L’Ermita underwent a turning point. From its first vintage until 2005, he included the French variety Cabernet Sauvignon in L’Ermita, attracted by its deep color, firm tannins, and exotic character. However, realizing this was a foolish choice born from a lack of understanding of terroir, he has insisted on native varieties only since 2005.

Despite technical perfection in the past, he always felt something was missing because his wines did not harmonize with the region’s history and tradition. He emphasizes that drinking wine made from fruit harvested from deeply rooted native vines brings emotional fulfillment and blessing. He believes that only when technical completeness is surpassed and emotional communion with terroir is achieved can a classic wine be born.

"A classic wine is not simply a wine with excellent flavor. A classic wine must provide us with great emotional resonance and response along with outstanding flavor. Only when a wine finally reaches that aspiration can we truly call it a classic wine."

Aging cellar of 'Palacios Remondo' in La Rioja, Spain.