Palacios Remondo

Álvaro Palacios is one of Spain's greatest winemakers, named Decanter Man of the Year in 2015 and perhaps best-known for putting Priorat on the map with his high-scoring L’Ermita. He studied winemaking in Bordeaux, including a stint at Pomerol icon, Château Pétrus. However, his family are from Spain’s Rioja region, and he was brought up here. So in 1999 Álvaro returned to the family estate, Palacios Remondo, with the goal of creating benchmark Rioja. His organically-farmed vineyards grow on the high-altitude slopes of Rioja Oriental (formerly Rioja Baja), in the mountainous Ebro valley, the most easterly and warmest part of Rioja. While most of Rioja relies on Tempranillo, Álvaro believes in Garnacha (or Grenache) as the foundation of his wine, and the grape suits the silty, alluvial soils and Mediterranean climate. While some Tempranillo is planted, he is gradually phasing it out. For his white Rioja, he uses Viura. Álvaro’s winemaking relies on natural practices; his vineyards are certified organic; grapes are hand-harvested in the cool, early morning temperatures and his wines are unfiltered.