La Faraona Descendientes de J. Palacios 2020

La Faraona Descendientes de J Palacios is a single-vineyard Mencia red wine produced by Alvaro Palacios in the Bierzo region of north-west Spain. Alongside his nephew, Ricardo Perez, Alvaro founded Descendientes de J Palacios in 1998. Together they have gained an enviable reputation for their fragrant and elegant wines made from the local variety, Mencía. La Faraona is regarded as their ‘grand cru’ cuvée and contains a small percentage of white grape varieties. 2020 marked the first vintage in which the vineyard was certified organic. "The pale and delicate 2020 La Faraona is the lowest in alcohol at 13.5% and is more reductive than its siblings - flinty and faintly smoky. It needs breathing, so it might be a good idea to decant it in advance if you`re going to open a bottle any time soon. What`s important is that the palate is balanced, with lots of ultra fine tannins, silky, soft, full of flavours, elegant, complex and nuanced. It has lots of inner energy and tension, and it`s subtle and ethereal. The finish is full of sweet red fruit and violets, nicely balanced by the tannin and the acidity. It`s delicious and should develop nicely in bottle and drink well throughout its life. It`s hard to compare with previous vintages, as this is more delicate than any previous years. It`s a different style but every bit as good as 2019." Wine Advocate, 2022