Giannikos Winery - Alvaro Palacios

In the late eighties, Alvaro met René Barbier, one of the rediscoverers and 'godfathers' of the Priorat. This tipped him to take a look at the forgotten wine region. Alvaro found vineyards here with very old vines. He knew immediately that he had discovered the area to be able to make absolute top wines. In 1989 he bought his first Priorat vineyard 'Finca Dofi' and in 1993 L'Ermita, a vineyard that is now considered one of the very best of the entire Priorat and is named after the chapel at the top of the vineyard.

With wines such as Finca Dofi and the now legendary L'Ermita he gained world fame and put the Priorat on the map as a wine region. All vineyards are processed on the basis of biological and / or dynamic principles to obtain the highest possible quality grapes and wine with the most natural character. Alvaro Palacios is barely 40 when he seems to have accomplished everything. Coming from a family of winegrowers - owners of the Bodegas Palacios Ramondo - as a young man in his twenties he learned the trade with Christian Moueix in the castles of Petrus and Trotanoy. Then he followed the catalan René Barbier in Priorato. Deeply impressed by ancient land and their qualitative potential, he decides to mine his own vineyard in this God-forsaken hole, 135 km south-west of Barcelona. According to Palacios' own words, the general belief is that "the yield is too low, the land is unworkable and requires a lot of manual labor" and that the chance of profitability is small. The sequel shows that the skeptics were wrong. The first millésime, namely the Ermita 1993, was immediately mentioned in the "superstars" club of Spanish wines. This cuvée, consisting of 80 to 90% Grenache Vieilles Vignes balanced by Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan Vieiles Vignes, has provoked exceptional reactions in Spain but also in the rest of the world. The ultra-modern company of Alvaro Palacios, dominating the village of Gratallops from the top of the hill, testifies to its decisive influence and ongoing efforts to revolutionize the Spanish wine industry. Alvaro Palacios, the architect of the success of the Ermita, summarizes with conviction: "The philosophy behind the vinification involves expressing the character of the terroir with the greatest transparency and purity."

The authoritative British wine magazine Decanter has named Alvaro Palacios Winemaker of the Year 2015. He is honored for his efforts to put Spain on the map in general and the regions of Bierzo and Priorat in particular worldwide. Palacios has illustrious predecessors. Last year, the brothers Perrin won from Chateau de Beaucastel, for which the honor went to Angelo Gaja, Robert Mondavi and the late Serge Hochar.

At Grandcruwijnen.nl you will find an extensive selection of the wines of Alvaro Palacios such as his absolute cult wine the L'Ermita and the Dofi, but we can certainly also recommend the wines that are a lot friendlier in price such as the Álvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat. Click here for an overview of the wines of Alvaro Palacios