VILLA DE CORULLÓN 2023

Description

Corullón 2023 is the most iconic village wine from Descendientes de J. Palacios, the project founded in 1999 by Álvaro Palacios and his nephew Ricardo Pérez Palacios in the municipality of Corullón (Bierzo), forever transforming the perception of Mencía and Bierzo on the global wine scene. If Pétalos del Bierzo is the gateway, Corullón is where the truth begins.

Made from a selection of 90 of the more than 200 plots they own in the municipality, including legendary vineyards such as Moncerbal, Las Lamas, San Martín, Fontelas, Ferro, Vasnada, María Cota, and Bruxa—each with a different altitude, exposure, and soil. The vines are between 60 and 100 years old, grown entirely biodynamically and certified organic since 2018, with manual work or mules on the steepest slate and schist slopes of western Bierzo. The blend includes 97% Mencía and up to 3% white varieties in co-fermentation.

The winemaking is purist and artisanal: entirely manual harvesting and sorting, hand destemming with 10–30% whole bunch. Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in open oak vats with manual punch-downs. Long maceration of 45 to 90 days. Aging for 9.7 months in a mix of barrels, bocoyes, and foudres with 15–20% new oak. No fining or filtration. Bottled in April 2025.

The 2023 vintage, rated by Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate) as "one of the best vintages to date", was a warm year that was perfectly managed thanks to the balance achieved through two decades of biodynamic viticulture. The result is a Corullón reminiscent of the great classic years of Bierzo from 20 years ago—such as the legendary 2001. 97 points from Robert Parker. Only 34,933 bottles produced.

It has a medium-bodied ruby-red color, elegant and luminous. On the nose, it is complex, austere, and mineral, with notes of stone, wet slate, spiced red fruit such as cherry and redcurrant, aromatic mountain herbs, and an elegant, flinty reduction that opens up over time. On the palate, it is ethereal, medium-bodied, and extraordinarily precise, with fine, chalky tannins, vibrant acidity, and a long, mineral, and spiced finish that lingers. A red that demands time in the glass and improves with age in the bottle.

Aging potential until 2035–2040. Decant at least 1 hour before serving. Temperature: 15–17°C. Ideal with game, lamb, mushrooms, pil-pil cod, aged cheeses, and noble offal dishes.