($19, Rare Wine Company): Palacios is one of the most famous and revered names in Spanish winemaking.  Alvaro Palacios, along with others, is credited with the revival of the entire Priorat region.  Now at his family’s estate in Rioja, he is energizing and reconfiguring how people think about wines from that region.  His nephew, Ricardo, is responsible for the outpost in Bierzo, still a relatively unknown area in northwestern Spain.  Bierzo will not remain unknown for long as the public discovers the dazzling wines Palacios produces there from the Mencia grape.  This one, Pétalos, is made from a combination of their own grapes plus some purchased from neighbors.  Minerally and firm, it has a seemingly paradoxical austerity and richness with a slight appealing tarriness in the finish.  This is an extraordinary bargain for the excitement it delivers.  Few under $20 wines show this kind of complexity that unfolds in the glass.  This easy-to-recommend wine is perfect for the heartier dishes of fall and winter.
92 Michael Apstein Oct 6, 2015