I have just written up the remarkable wines of Alvaro Palacios (and other family members):

• Alvaro Palacios, Priorat
• Descendientes de J Palacios, Bierzo
• Palacios Remondo, Rioja

The top wines from Priorat and Bierzo are among Spain’s most expensive. But the good news is that the inexpensive wines from these projects are thrilling, aromatically stunning, and don’t need to be cellared for decades to show their best. They are truly beautiful wines:

Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat 2011 Priorat, Spain
From young vines. So sweet and pure on the nose with jammy, fresh blackberry and raspberry fruit. The palate is fresh, ripe, open and sweetly fruited with lovely grip. Such a pretty wine. 93/100

Descendientes de J. Palacios Pétalos 2011 Bierzo, Spain
98% Mencia, the balance made up of 20 other varieties in the region, a blend of different villages. Fresh, floral black cherry nose is quite beautiful, with a meaty edge. Amazing palate is fresh and vivid, with intense notes of pure black cherries, meat and olives. 94/100

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com