Descendientes de Jose Palacios, Corullon Bierzo, 2022

Álvaro Palacios (of L'Ermita fame) and nephew Ricardo Pérez didn't come to Bierzo to follow trends—they came to preserve ancient vineyards that had been abandoned. Corullón draws from roughly 90 different plots on steep schist and slate hillsides at 500 to 950 meters elevation, many with vines over 100 years old. Ninety-three percent Mencía farmed biodynamically, harvested by hand and mule. Eight months of barrel aging lets the wine's mineral tension and fine-grained tannins speak for themselves. The 2022 shows generous ripe fruit balanced by the kind of slate-driven energy that makes you pay attention.