Bierzo: The Next Priorat, Only Better

Bierzo: The Next Priorat, Only Better

By Michael ApsteinAug 28, 2007

Dismissed by many in Spain as a region suited only to producing bulk wine, Bierzo is poised to become one of Spain's leading wine regions. The landscape, the focus on indigenous grapes, and the personalities involved convince me that still-obscure Bierzo is destined for the big time. Among the personalities I've got in mind here are members of the Palacios family, making the comparison between Bierzo and Priorat--another region that has recently risen from obscurity to fame--almost inevitable. Even to mention Bierzo in the same breath with Priorat (which has become a new darling to wealthy collectors) may raise some eyebrows. But, ultimately, I believe that Bierzo may turn out to make even greater wine than Priorat.
The Mencia Grape is the Key
This is largely because Mencia, the region's primary grape, delivers incredible complexity at a lower alcohol level than one typically finds in Priorat wines. Mencia ripens early, by mid-September, and is well suited to the maritime climate of Bierzo where autumn rains are normal. Although its DNA has not been mapped entirely, Mencia is definitely not related to Cabernet Franc, despite speculation to the contrary. Local inhabitants believe that since Bierzo has always been an important stop on the pilgrimage route from northern Europe to Santiago de Compostella, pilgrims brought Mencia vines with them from elsewhere. However no documentation supports the local speculation. Oscar Alegre, Palacios' export director in Bierzo, believes that the 'diversity of clones' (they have 9 different clones in a one-acre vineyard) indicates that the grape variety has been in the region for centuries.
The red wines from Bierzo (there are also some terrific whites made from the Godello grape, but more about that in a future column) run the gamut from light and fruity to deep and concentrated, in part because of the diversity of soil types and vineyard locations. Unlike the monotonous schist of Priorat, Bierzo has a variety of soils ranging from rugged stony well-drained sites to more fertile spots. Bierzo produces wines from Mencia with uncommon complexity, including young vines. At the fruity and forward end of the spectrum, these wines are engaging because of their low tannins and lovely 'not just fruit' complexity. At the richer end of the spectrum, the best wines are beautifully balanced and silky, with an exotic earthiness and minerality. And, importantly, they are capable of combining expressiveness with restraint.
An Isolated and Forgotten Region
Priorat is famous for its remoteness, and yet, by comparison, Bierzo makes look accessible. Villages in the region can seem seemed mired in the 19th century, with their communal bread baking ovens and communal pools for washing clothes. Fields are still plowed by horses guided by a dog. Unlike Priorat, which is close to Barcelona, Bierzo is in the middle of nowhere, in northwestern Spain on the border of Galicia and Castilla y León. To get there you drive an hour and a half west from León across the plains, the Maseta of Castilla y León, enter the hills and mountains that surround the region, and pass one seemingly deserted hamlet after another. The sight of stone houses and slate roofs presage the kind of terrain and soil awaiting you in the vineyards.
Almost as rugged as Priorat, Bierzo is a similarly forgotten area where everything is done by hand and where a bunch of 30-somethings have invaded to reinvigorate the area. Mencia is rarely grown outside of Bierzo, unlike Garnacha and Cariñena, which are planted in Priorat and widely grown throughout the Mediterranean. It is capable of making terrific wine on its own, and in contrast to the wines of Priorat, often loses some of its appealing character when blended with Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.
As with any 'newly discovered' wine region these days, winemakers here must resist the temptation to over-extract the grapes, over-work the winemaking and over-shadow the wine with oak. It's difficult to show restraint anywhere these days, when fashion in wine favors power and muscle, but since Mencia shows more character at lower levels of alcohol, winemakers in Bierzo should theoretically have an easier time remembering to match the winemaking techniques to what the grapes can realistically deliver.
Lots of Tiny Plots
The region received its DO (Denominación Origen, or official recognition from the Spanish wine authorities) only in 1989. By 2000, there were still only about 20 wineries in the region, but today there are 50 with plans for another 10 to open within the next two years, according to the Consejo Regulador (the regulatory body) of Bierzo.
The region encompasses about 9,000 acres, which makes it about twice the size of Priorat (Napa Valley, by comparison, has about 50,000 acres under vine). Bierzo is cultivated by about 4,200 growers, which means that the average holding is just over two acres. With such fragmentation, cooperatives have not surprisingly played an enormous role in the area, and were largely responsible for the preservation of the old vineyards. Without the co-ops, it would not have been economically feasible for many farmers to make wine, and their old vines and vineyards would have been abandoned.
This fragmentation also explains the paucity of large estates In Bierzo. Buying large vineyards is difficult because of the local tradition of how land was divided among the heirs at death. In an extension of the Napoleonic code, each parcel--not just the entire estate--was divided among all of the heirs. The result is thousands of parcels, many of which are barely an acre in size. This custom results in the Herculean task of negotiating with 30 or 40 individuals if one wishes to put together a reasonable sized vineyard, especially sincemany of whom are absentee owners as descendants leave the area. The task is made even more daunting by a cultural factor: selling land is widely regarded as a shameful act bespeaking financial desperation The region received a boost in 1999 when Alvaro Palacios, one of the 'founding five' of Priorat and considered one of Spain's most talented and visionary winemakers, teamed up with his nephew, Ricardo Pérez, to form Descendientes de J. Palacios. The Palacios name in Spain is comparable to Gaja or Antinori in Italy. When he does something new, people immediately taken notice. Although there are many leading producers in Bierzo--Castro Ventosa, Dominio de Tares and Luna Beberide to name a few--Xoan Cannes, one of Spain's most prominent sommeliers says, 'Palacios is Bierzo.'
Palacios and the other quality producers in Bierzo are focusing on the export market because, as Oscar Alegre says, 'nobody in Spain thinks quality wine comes from here.' How wrong they are.

Origin: Winereviewonline.com