Alvaro Palacios Dinner at The Edge Steak and Bar

"Wine, it's in my veins and I can't get it out."
 - Burgess Meredith

I will never forget the wine dinner that we hosted with Alvaro a decade ago at Café Maxx. We served 6 vintages of his iconic wine L’Ermita. We would have to charge $500+ to do this again because this wine has become one of the cult wines of Spain fetching as much as Bordeaux’s first growths upon release. This wine is much harder to procure as he only makes around 300 cases of this wine from the 4.4 acres of 70+ year old Grenache wines. Alvaro is one of the world’s top winemakers and this is a “Once in a Lifetime” opportunity to break bread with one of Spain’s modern day winemaking pioneers.

Alvaro is one of the original five producers along with Clos Mogador, Clos Erasmus, Clos Martinet and Clos de l'Obac that made wine together at the same facility in the early 1990’s.  Today the Priorat is considered to be among one of the most prestigious wine producing regions in all of Spain and was elevated to DOC status as of the 2009 vintage making it the only area to achieve DOC status other than the most famous wine region in Spain- Rioja.

Join us as we show you a dazzling display of wines from both the Priorat and Alvaro’s joint venture with his nephew from Bierzo making wine under the Descendientes de J. Palacios label, including the very first vintage of the Corullon!  Chef Aaron Brooks will be serving a special five course tasting menu to accompany the tasting wines. The fee for this dinner is $275+ tax + Gratuity, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Winemaker Dinner with special guest Alvaro Palacios
At the Edge Steak and Bar in the Four Seasons Hotel on Brickell
Thursday, May 23rd
7pm

Reception:

2008 Placet Remondo Palacios Rioja Blanc
Price: $30.00       Sale $26.40          Case $306

The only white wine made by famous Spanish winemaker Alvaro Palacios at his family’s Rioja property, Placet is made in very limited quantities from the indigenous Spanish grape variety, Viura, grown on the estate. Placet is a captivating wine that is light gold in color with aromas of honeysuckle, almonds, and fresh orchard fruit. On the palate the wine is both voluptuous and vibrant with good acidity and a long finish that has hints of fresh apricots, soft minerals and lightly toasted oak.

First Course:
salad of salt roasted beets, house made ricotta, pistachio, grilled kale

2010 Descendientes de J. Palacios Petalos del Bierzo
Price: $24.75       Sale $21.78          Case $253

(91 Points) “Ripe red- and blackcurrant aromas are complicated by anise, cola and sexy oak spices. Soft dark berry preserve flavors gain minerality and firmness with air. Zesty cherry skin and mineral notes....”International Wine Cellar Sep, 2012

Second Course:
fire roasted duck sausage, foraged mushrooms and eggplants, basil

2009 Descendientes de J. Palacios Corullon Bierzo
Price: $52.50       Sale $46.20          Case $536

(93 Points) This polished red shows density and harmony, delivering complex, well-integrated flavors of mineral, wild berry, fresh herbs and smoke. Not showy, but has character. Drink now through 2018. 25,000 cases made. –TM Wine Spectator, Issue: Nov 15, 2011

2010 Descendientes de J. Palacios Moncerbal Bierzo
Price: $120.00    Sale $105.60       Case $1224

(91 Points) This plush red delivers black cherry, licorice, mineral and smoke flavors. Harmonious and focused, supported by well-integrated tannins and firm acidity. Not a showy wine, but has complexity and depth. Drink now through 2018. 50,000 cases made. –TM Wine Spectator, Issue: Dec 31, 2012

2001 Descendants de Palacios Corullon Moncerbal Bierzo
Price: $96.00       Sale: $84.48

This is the first vintage of this wine and it will be fun to show it next to the current releases so you can see what is coming with time and what these wines will be like with a few years in your cellar.

Third Course
ham cooked in milk and hay, partridge egg, pink lady apples, white beans and black olives

2011 Alvaro Palacios Les Terrasses Priorat
Price: $41.00       Sale $36.08          Case $419

This is the newest release from the winery and the 2011 vintage looks to be a very good vintage in the Priorat.  The temperatures in July were a bit lower than normal but August was quite hot making up for lost time and shortening the vineyard workers vacation time most wineries were harvesting at the end of August and had to do a selection in the fields to avoid over ripe grapes.

Dinner Course
roasted saddle of lamb, five different grains, spinach sauteed with pine nuts and plums

2010 Alvaro Palacios Finca Dofi Priorat
Price: $81.00                       Sale $71.28                          Case $827

(94 points) "Suave, highly perfumed nose offers fresh raspberry, minerals, candied flowers and Asian spices.  Sappy and minerally, offering intense, spice-accented red fruit and floral pastille flavors with superb clarity.  Wonderfully supple in texture, with outstanding finishing persistence and only a hint of sweet tannins." Stephen Tanzer IWC

2002 Alvaro Palacios Finca Dofi Priorat
List Price: $82.50               Sale $72.60

This was not a good harvest in the priorat but it is vintages like this where producers like Alvaro Palacios really shine and this wine should be drinking at its peak right now.

Cheese Course
pleasant ridge reserve, sweet potato, Spanish chorizo and golden raisins

2000 Alvaro Palacios L'Ermita Priorat
NA

(90 points) Polished, with vivid, alluring flavors of blueberry, blackberry and vanilla. Tannins are firm and well-integrated, and the finish echoes with floral, minty and smoky notes. Best after 2004. 350 cases made. –TM Wine Spectator

2010 Alvaro Palacios L'Ermita Priorat
Price: $1050        Sale $924

This 300 case cuvee of 70+ year old Grenache vineyard is one of the iconic wines of the Priorat and is considered to be among one of the most highly sought after wines in all Spain today.  This is the current release.

Chef Aaron Brooks will be serving a special five course tasting menu to accompany the tasting wines. The fee for this dinner is $275+ tax + Gratuity, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

A bit about Alvaro Palacios:

During the late 1980’s, Alvaro Palacios travelled his native Spain selling French barriques to winemakers. But his journeys had a second purpose: to find the best place to achieve his goal of making Spain’s greatest wine.

He ultimately decided, in 1990, on Priorat, where he would achieve worldwide fame with "L'Ermita" and "Finca Dofi." But there had been a close contender: Bierzo. It had all the ingredients that Alvaro wanted-incredibly steep hillside vineyards, distinctive terroirs and, most importantly, ancient vineyards of Mencía-a unique red grape believed brought by French pilgrims during the Middle Ages.

In Pursuit of the Dream.

The idea of making great wine from old-vine Mencía never left Alvaro, and his experience in Priorat-particularly with L'Ermita-convinced him of Bierzo's enormous potential. Meanwhile, his nephew Ricardo Perez had finished enological studies in Bordeaux and was travelling across France-absorbing everything he could about great wines. He worked the harvest at Château Margaux, and did internships at other Bordelais firms like Moueix (Pétrus, Trotanoy, etc.). He also visited Alvaro frequently and came to share a belief in Bierzo's potential. In 1998, the two decided on a joint venture and set out in search of the region's finest old vineyards.

Assembling the Pieces.

Alvaro and Ricardo found promising sites in a number of villages but shortly came to believe that the greatest potential lay in a little town on Bierzo's western border named Corullón. Old vineyards lined the precipitous hillsides there, and the local soils were extremely poor-composed mostly of schist-but with incredible diversity. The minute variations in soils and exposures across this zone immediately reminded the two of Burgundy's Côte d'Or, or Piedmont's Langhe hills. In Corullón, Alvaro and Ricardo believe they have found a unique combination of soils, old vines, and a distinctive variety that will yield their own grands crus. Beginning with 2001, the estate began to make their case with individual vineyard bottlings.

The winery is dedicated to Alvaro's father, and Ricardo's grandfather, who passed away in early 2000. The wines are a worthy tribute to the man who inspired them.

Up to seven wines are made. The first, Pétalos del Bierzo,   is assembled from old hillside and hilltop vines from across Bierzo's western edge. The wine is vinified for immediate appeal, but it retains the estate's signature finesse and restraint.

Corullón is an assemblage from old-vine parcels in and around this town. Its combination of generosity and precision makes a case not only for Corullón's special status, but also the superiority of Alvaro's and Ricardo's winemaking.

The estate also produces up to four extraordinary single-vineyard wines: San Martin, Moncerbal, Las Lamas and La Faraona. Each is a distinctive expression of a remarkable and compelling terroir.

Other Wines from Alvaro Palacios Available:

2011 Camins del Priorat Alvaro Palacios
Price: $28.00       Sale $24.64          Case $286

Alvaro’s Canins is made half from local variety Samsó (a synonym for Carinena), then 40% Garnacha and 10% shared between Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The wine has classic Priorat weight, with velvety raspberry fruit and hints of spice and vanillin; the naturally ripe exuberance inherent in this region has been tamed by this relatively mild vintage and the result is pleasingly approachable in youth.

2010 Descendientes de J. Palacios Corullon Bierzo
Price: $52.50       Sale $46.20          Case $536

What a pedigree: made by one of the stars of Priorat, Alvaro Palacios and his nephew Ricardo Peréz Palacios. (Jose Palacios, after whom the winery is names, was Alvaro's father. He died as they were starting the project.) They hunted down small plots of old-vine Mencia, convinced they would make exceptional wine. So it has proved. The enthusiastic Ricardo farms biodynamically, using mules to plough. Corullón is named after the mountain village around which the Priorat-like slate vineyards cluster. The wine is fermented in open wooden vats, and aged 14 months in barrel.

The reference for Bierzo. Deep, multi-layered, rich but balanced, with a long open finish. Probably the best Corullón ever, with better oak management. Great now and even better in five years. Top stuff.  Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW - 19/20

2009 Alvaro Palacios Les Terrasses Priorat
List Price: $44.00               Sale $38.72         
Quantity in Stock: 4

(91-94 Points) The 2009 Les Terrasses displays a lovely nose of exotic spices, black fruits, and liquid minerals. It offers greater depth, aging potential, and length than the 2008.

Alvaro Palacios established his namesake winery in 1989. The flagship L’Ermita made its debut in 1993. Finca Dofi and L’Ermita vineyards are farmed biodynamically. All of the wines are bottled without filtration. In 2008 Palacios was the last grower in Priorat to harvest, waiting out rains that diluted other growers’ fruit. It appears that 2009 was a slightly more successful vintage for Alvaro Palacios (and most Priorat producers) than was 2008. All of the 2009s were tasted from barrel samples at the Bodega in January 2011. Wine Advocate #194, May 2011

2008 Alvaro Palacios Finca Dofi Priorat
Price: $81.00    Sale: $71.28
Quantity in Stock: 11

(93 points) The 2008 Finca Dofi, sourced from a relatively youthful single vineyard, is composed of 60% Garnacha with the balance Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot aged in 100% new French oak. Aromas of sandalwood, Asian spices, incense, and black cherry lead to a forward, sexy offering with plenty of spice and floral notes. This lengthy effort is one of those rarities than can be approached now but will drink well for another 20 years.

Alvaro Palacios established his namesake winery in 1989. The flagship L’Ermita made its debut in 1993. Finca Dofi and L’Ermita vineyards are farmed biodynamically. All of the wines are bottled without filtration. In 2008 Palacios was the last grower in Priorat to harvest, waiting out rains that diluted other growers’ fruit. It appears that 2009 was a slightly more successful vintage for Alvaro Palacios (and most Priorat producers) than was 2008. All of the 2009s were tasted from barrel samples at the Bodega in January 2011.  Wine Advocate #194, May 2011

2008 Alvaro Palacios L'Ermita Priorat
Price: $775.00    Sale $682
Quantity in Stock: 1

(96 points) The flagship, the 2008 L’Ermita, comes from a remarkably steep 4.4 acre, 70-year-old vineyard planted to 100% Garnacha and is aged in 100% new oak. It delivers a profound perfume of exotic spices, kinky wild berry aromas, incense, liquid minerality, black raspberry, and black cherry. In this vintage it is relatively forward with considerable elegance, a sophisticated personality, great depth and balance, and a pure, fruit-filled finish. It is one of the benchmark wines of the DO.

Alvaro Palacios established his namesake winery in 1989. The flagship L’Ermita made its debut in 1993. Finca Dofi and L’Ermita vineyards are farmed biodynamically. All of the wines are bottled without filtration. In 2008 Palacios was the last grower in Priorat to harvest, waiting out rains that diluted other growers’ fruit. It appears that 2009 was a slightly more successful vintage for Alvaro Palacios (and most Priorat producers) than was 2008. All of the 2009s were tasted from barrel samples at the Bodega in January 2011. Wine Advocate #194, May 2011