Alvaro Palacios

Alvaro Palacios is one of the most important winemakers in Spain

Alvaro Palacios is one of Spain's absolutely best winemakers and the producer of one of the most famous wines in Europe, the legendary L'Ermita wine, a wine that costs more than 600 € the bottle! Alvaro Palacios works in various wine districts in Spain, but is most famous for his work in Priorat

Palacios comes from a family of wine growers in Rioja, the famous Spanish wine district in the north of Spain. But early he went to Priorat and began to make wine here, and it is here that he has reached fame.

- We organize vistists to this amazing wine region from Barcelona: read more about our Private wine tour to Priorat.

As a young aprentice he spent time in Bordeux at the famous Pomerol wine estate Château Petrus, and in his best wines the heritage from the Bordeux district can be noted in the strong, tosted taste.

Priorat and L'Ermita

In 1989, when Alvaro Palacios was 25 years old he left behind Rioja. He sold his car and his motorbike, and came to Priorat. After working a few years in Proirat, in 1993 he bought the vineyard of 1,7 hactares, L'Ermita (La Ermita in Spanish): "la bonita Ermita" as Palacios calls it. It is located close to Gratallops, home to the best wine makers in the Priorat.

La Ermita estate turns north-west, and not south as is the case of most vineyards. But as Palacios says, the best wines in the Priorat comes from the shady areas, because of the quantity of light. La Ermita is a shady vineyard, with just the right quantity of sun and light. Maybe the Ermita Wine estate has the best vines in all of Priorat. However, the yield is very low, and so is the production. The vines are mostly Garnacha- (Grenache) going back to the 1940-ies.

Palacios and the wines

Below you will find a list of Alvaro Palacios most important wines, divided into the different wine regions where he works.

Priorat

• L’Ermita

  L'Ermita is Alvaro Palacios top wine. The wine blends garnacha and a bit of cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is strong and elegant. The wine has got up to 98 points by Robert Parker
  

• Finca Dofi

  Finca Dofi is Alvaro Palacios' second best wine. The wine is made of garnacha, cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah from old vines with low yeild. A strong wine with a powerful aroma.

• Les Teresses

  Another of Palacios' exciting wines. The bottle til en overkommelig pris, omkring 25 Euro i Spanien. Vinen laves på Garnacha, cariñena samt 10 % Cabernet Sauvignon. Vinen har en meget intens smag.
  

Bierzo

• Pétalos del Bierzo

  A new wine in the beautiful Bierzo in northwest Spain. The quality-price relationship is good in general in this area, and it also goes for Palacios' wine: the wine costs aroudn 10€ in Spain.
  

Rioja

• La Montesa

  The Palacios family wine. Alvaro Palacios' father, José Palacios Remondo, made this wine come to a new level. Today Alvaro Palacios' is the winemaker of the family estate. The wine costs around 12 € in Spain.