2019 Descendientes de J. Palacios, Petalos, Bierzo, Spain + Manchego and Jamon at The Cheese Iron

We’re shouting out one of our recent Wine Wise Wine Club wines with a simple, easy, and equally, delicious food pairing from our friends at The Cheese Iron (Scarborough).

We first came across the Descendientes de J. Palacios, “Petalos” from Bierzo, Spain many years ago and we’ve been huge fans of it ever since. Each vintage reflects the nuances of differences while remaining consistently beautiful, approachable, and delicious. This wine hails from winemakers Alvaro Palacios and Ricardo Perez and is produced from over 300 plots of old-vine Mencia all harvested by hand in high-elevation sights in the northern Bierzo. It was raised for 10 months in new, second use, and neutral French oak barriques with, now, several years developing in the bottle.

The 2019 vintage is ruby red with notes of fresh, juicy, and ripe dark berries, red plum, black current, wild herbs, violets, fresh earth, tobacco leaf, and cocoa. It’s medium-bodied, with soft and medium tannins, and medium-plus lifting acidity.  There’s a beautiful balance of fruit, earth, and structure that all linger harmoniously on the palate. It is super delicious! We love curating high-value wines for wine club members and pointing them in the right direction for local food pairings.

For the Petalos, we recommend stopping by the Cheese Iron and selecting some delicious Manchego cheese, cured Spanish Jamon, and accouterments. There is beauty in the simplicity of quality-driven naturally made food products, that when presented in a simple way, allow us to appreciate the craftsmanship, tradition, and historic processes that yield such incredible flavors, aromas, and textures. We hope these photos are enough to tempt you. It looks so good, doesn’t it?

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