Description

Nous sommes à l'aube du lancement de la dernière création de Descendientes de J. Palacios, le projet de Ricardo Pérez et Álvaro Palacios à Bierzo. Classé comme vin de terroir, il provient d'une parcelle exclusive (Valdafoz) de seulement 0,39 hectare, pleine de « vertu et de grâce », selon les propres termes du domaine. Il est élaboré à partir de Mencía et d'un petit apport de raisin blanc.

Fiche technique

Le domaine
Descendientes de J. Palacios
Type de vin
Rouge
Millésime
2023
Alcool
13.0% vol.
Production
1 244 bouteilles
Cépage
95% Mencía, 5% Jerez
Origine
Bierzo

Dégustation

Nez
Il présente des arômes de fruits rouges et noirs.
Bouche
Léger, net et précis, avec une pureté remarquable. Ses tanins sont énergiques et puissants.
Température de service
Il est recommandé de servir à 16 °C.

Vignoble et élaboration

Nom
Al Chelo
Description
Site situé à Corullón. Le débourrement a débuté le 1er avril, la floraison le 19 mai et la véraison le 23 juillet.
Size
0,39 hectare
Climat
Ce millésime se caractérise par son instabilité. L'hiver a été glacial, avec des gelées et des pluies intenses. Au milieu du printemps, les températures ont commencé à augmenter, avançant le débourrement dès la fin avril. Le mois de juin a été pluvieux, mais juillet et août ont été assez secs. La période de la vendange a été ponctuée de précipitations intermittentes.
Vendanges
La Vendange manuelle a eu lieu le 15 septembre.
Vinification
Les raisins ont été partiellement égrappés dans des cuves en chêne, avec remontages manuels.
Elevage
Rouge crianza d'environ 9 mois en fût et en tonneau.
Embouteillage
En mai 2025.

L'avis des experts

The Wine Advocate:

There are not many new wines here, and the first new one in a very long time will be the 2023 Al Chelo, from a selection of plots in the Valdafoz zone of the village of Corullón. It comes from a 100% north-facing slope, a very steep slope reaching 70% in some parts. Here, the grapes used to ripen only three years per decade, but it now benefits from the warmer seasons. It also wasn't usually vinified separately, because it was challenging and the volumes were small (it's also a favorite of the wild boars). This is 95% Mencía with 5% Jerez from 50- to 90-year-old vines on steep slopes with a northeast exposition at 612 to 675 meters in altitude on laminar slate soils that are worked organically with cover crops. The grapes were partially destemmed in oak vats with punching down of the cap and matured in barrel and bocoy for 8.5 months, a little shorter than the rest of 2023s. It comes in at 13% alcohol and with a pH of 3.59. It has the stony and austere nose of the 2023s, even more austere than Corullón and Moncerbal; it's a little reductive and flinty but with that elegant reduction that gives it a mineral feeling. It's full of energy and light and is clean, precise and focused, with great purity. It has powerful and energetic tannins, but it has a different texture from the rest. This was the most backward of the bottled 2023s. In fact, it felt like it was getting more and more closed with time in the glass, getting more and more backward. This is the only 2023 that showed a little oak; they thought it needed it to polish those tannins. Anyway, this is the one I'll keep for longer even if it's difficult to resist pulling the cork. There were around 1,000 liters of it that filled 1,244 bottles in May 2025.

Decanter:

The inaugural vintage of Al Chelo, which is the name of the 0.39ha plot and also of Ricardo Pérez Palacios' late mother and Álvaro Palacios´ late sister, Chelo. In previous vintages, A Chelo fruit went into Corullón. This is supple, with layers of red and black fruit and a firm line of light-grained tannin. With 5% white grapes.