Descendientes de J. Palacios Petalos Bierzo 2016 (750ML)

92+ Points, Luis Gutierrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "I tasted two vintages of their entry-level wine because the 2016 Pétalos del Bierzo was sold out and the 2017 has already been released. Depending on the vintage, they use more or less white grapes in the fermentation, and in 2016 it was around 6%. It has an elegant profile, clean, floral and spicy, with a soft palate and subtle acidity that gives it a kick and makes it longer. This is one of the best value wines in Spain, and 2016 is not an exception. Perhaps it won't be the longest-lived vintage, but it's drinking beautifully and gives a lot of pleasure. It's somehow reminiscent of 2013 or 2014, perhaps a tad warmer." 2/19

92 Points, James Suckling: "In spite of all the blackberry and violet aromas, this wine has great herbal freshness and enormous vitality on the sleek and positively dry palate, with a long and crisp mineral finish. About as food-flexible as any red wine gets." 8/18

92 Points, Wine Spectator (WS #35 wine of 2018): "This savory red offers notes of espresso, black olive and graphite framing a core of black cherry and licorice. Fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity keep this balanced. Harmonious and graceful. " 10/18

91+ Points, John Gilman, View From the Cellar: "The only previous vintage of Pétalos de Bierzo that I had tasted from Ricardo Perez was the 2011, which I drank at a restaurant in Madrid four or five years ago. I was not overly impressed with the 2011, which was listed at 14.5 percent octane, but the 2016 version comes in a full point lower in alcohol and offers up a far more precise and complex bouquet of dark berries, pomegranate, woodsmoke, licorice, a fine base of soil, a touch of chicory, cloves and a hint of cedary wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, ripe and rock solid at the core, with fine backend soil signature, moderate tannins, a good core of fruit and a long, focused and gently warm finish. I would guess this is closer to fourteen than 13.5 in octane, but it is well-balanced and quite tasty out of the blocks, with the potential to age quite well and will probably be even more interesting to drink with a few years in the cellar. (Drink between 2018-2038)" 5/18 Issue #75

93 Points, Panel Tasting, Decanter: "Very refined and sublimely understated, with finely-poised acidity enlivening spicy blackberry fruit, ingrained with carefully managed oak. Very appealing and well made." 11/18