MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

8.8

I don’t believe this is a 93 according to #luisgutierrez at the #wineadvocate This is a very good wine for the price which is exactly the marketing strategy of #alvaropalacios for this wine and for Camins Del Priorat. He’s on very good terms and relations with the critics, so he gets a very generous score on ALL of his wines including the introductory wine at the lowest price (La Montesa also for example) he then sells those at a somewhat elevated price (when compared to neighboring wineries), and then the next wines up in the chain double, then quadruple and then 8x as much and so on and so forth. So the consumer, having tried the first wine, seeing the scores and having some extra cash in their pocket, launches to try some of the more expensive wines and that’s when this formula really pays off, because when you pay $30, $60 or $120 for a wine, you are already predisposed to like it because you paid handsomely for it. So you try these wines (again they are very well made) and you have the scores and price in mind, most people value them beyond their actual quality. Alvaro Palacios is a brand and in the same way that Moët and Veuve Cliquot are overpriced and you know they are overpriced (or maybe you don’t) you don’t care because you want the brand and the brand has performed it’s marketing sorcery on you. There are some suspicious aspects of this wine: #1 it sells for the same price or less expensive in the US than in Spain? #2 Nowhere on the label does it say that it is made with #mencia grapes, not even on the PDO back label? #3 I don’t have the exact sales figure but I believe that this wine sells a quantity of at least six figures (volume) when you go to Bierzo, even if you include the valley floor, there doesn’t seem to be enough grapes to go around for all of the Pétalos that is sold? I think it is a very good wine, but a 9.3 for many Napa wineries or even Bordeaux wineries is a very high score and a score that in those areas guarantees a quality that this wine does not achieve. A small caveat, I am jealous of how well Palacios markets his wines and the scores he is able to achieve, I only wish I was as wise and clever in marketing. — 5 years ago

Chip Hughes

9.3

I usually detest Priorat/Montsant wines, as they impress me as being tough and charmless. This is the exact opposite: aromatic, exuberant, complex! #alvaropalacios #priorat #garnacha — 7 years ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.3

Fruit and flower power. Soft attack and good intensity with a long finish. Very #bierzo and at the same time with hints of a #Saumur #alvaropalacios very nice — 8 years ago

Jeremy Goldberg

9.0

Super complex red blend. Spice and dark fruit on the nose, cherry and menthol on the palate. Long finish and super complex. Decanted for 1 hour and opened up in the glass. Superb Thank you @vilavinateca. #priorat #alvaropalacios #vilavinateca — 8 years ago

with Michael

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.2

Love it. #mencia #oldvines #bierzo #alvaropalacios #palacios Racy acidity, stones, violets and earth. For me oak is perfectly integrated. Personally wouldn't pay 2x Petalos. — 9 years ago