2023 Petalos del Bierzo D.O.

Robert Parker - 93+

The 2023 Pétalos has around 20% grapes from Corullón and the rest bought from around 100 families across Bierzo, approximately 91% Mencía, 8% whites and 1% other reds that fermented in open-top oak and stainless steel vats with indigenous yeast. Malolactic fermentation took a couple of months in oak and stainless steel, and the wine matured in barriques and bocoyes for 10 months. It comes in at 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.74. It has a serious nose that combines berry fruit with herbs and a licorice twist, and it is a little tighter and more herbal, denoting more sensation of freshness in the wine even if the year was also warmish. But the peaks of heat did not reach the highs they did in 2022. It makes you think of the Bierzo wines from yesteryear, with the rain during the harvest. It's elegant but there's weight. Despite the price level, this is a wine that aged beautifully in bottle, something you don't expect in an entry-level wine. Final production figures were as expected, 297,867 bottles. The wine was bottled between January and April 2025. This keeps its position as one of the best values in Spain.

Vinous - 92

The 2023 Pétalos is a Mencía from Bierzo that blends fruit from both the lowlands and the slopes of Corullón in equal parts. Focused and precise, it offers hints of violet, wild herbs and fresh plum with touches of cherry and pomegranate. This is medium-bodied, juicy and supple, with delicate freshness and grippy tannins. Compared to the 2022, it feels more resolved and less compact, yet this retains its talc-like texture and a faint pink note.

James Suckling - 93

This has dark cherries, underbrush, dried flowers and a bright edge on the nose. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with firm, focused tannins. It’s polished and angular, almost skeletal in structure. About 85% mencia with small amounts of other red and white varieties co-planted in the vineyard. Drink or hold.