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Descendientes de J. Palacios Pétalos 2017
RedSpain2017
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-04-02 · Published 2026-09-30 · Updated 2026-09-30
At a glance
In one line
3.0/5 — lower than Vivino's 3.9 average · world avg price US$15 · My second meeting with this Bierzo Mencía.
Wine-Searcher aggregate of 8 critic reviews: 91. James Suckling wrote that the 2017 was still slightly dry and to try it after 2021 (quoted on Wine-Searcher). Six critic scores of 90–93 on Vivino (Feb–Jun 2019), publication names not shown.
Market note: World average US$15 / 750ml (Wine-Searcher, ex-tax, Sep 2026). On the same basis the house's Villa de Corullón is US$53 (93), Moncerbal US$126, Las Lamas US$127 and the top La Faraona US$1,247 (97). On Vivino, vintages from 2005 to 2023 with 30+ ratings sit between 3.6 and 4.0, a little higher in recent years.
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“두번째 페탈로스 가격이 데일리로는 좀 쌔고 그 이상 느끼긴 잘 모르겠다고들 하는데 처음에 마찬가지로 느꼈으나 두번째 자리에서는 브리딩을 많이 하니 감초랑 가죽도 느끼고 좀 더 업글된 느낌이었다. … 하지만 가격이 퀄에 비해 높긴하다. 멘시아 품종 다른 와인도 마셔봐야겠다.”
Show original
“cherry earthy plum red fruit licorice leather 두번째 페탈로스 가격이 데일리로는 좀 쌔고 그이상 느끼긴 잘 모르겠다고들하는데 처음에 마찬가지로 느꼈으나 두번째 자리에서는 브리딩을 많이 하니 감초랑 가죽도 느끼고 좀 더 업글된 느낌이 었다. […] 하지만 가격이 퀄에비해 높긴하다~~ 멘시아 품종 다른와인도 마셔봐야겠다~”
What I learned today: some wines only show their face once you give them time.
Sunday, the bar's day off. At closing last night, Master Seo put a cloth-wrapped bottle into a paper bag for me. Open it at home tomorrow, he said. Smell it once right after opening and again two hours later, and write down both.
I opened it after lunch. The first glass: cherry, plum, red fruit, and earth. Fine, but nothing more. I wrote it down, tidied my room and popped into Mum's bakery. About two hours later I poured again and the nose had changed. Licorice and leather had come up. That second nose opened a night.
Twenty-one, spring, a Thursday night after the rain had stopped, the kitchen. Dad came home late and set an empty decanter down beside the sink — he'd brought it back from a dinner with other people. Before turning on the tap he called me over and told me to smell this instead of a bottle. What was left at the bottom of the empty decanter smelled of licorice, leather and cherry. It was his second time with that wine, he said; the first time it was so-so, but left open for a long time it became a completely different wine. Then he rinsed the decanter. I don't know the name of the bottle.
I opened the notebook to that date. It says this was his second time with the bottle. A lot of people say it's a bit pricey as an everyday wine and they can't taste much beyond that, and at first Dad felt the same. The second time, with plenty of breathing, he got licorice and leather and "a bit of an upgrade". I skip the line about how the people with him reacted. He still wrote that the price is high for the quality. Three stars. The grape is named in the last line: Mencía. He should try other Mencías, he wrote. The bottle was Descendientes de J. Palacios Pétalos. I stuck on the wine-name Post-it. Maybe Dad brought the decanter home as it was because he knew that even with the bottle empty, the second nose was still in there.
In the evening I texted Master Seo the two noses I'd written. His reply was short: Bierzo, in north-west Spain; Mencía. The house that makes this bottle was founded by an uncle and his nephew, and the J in the name is the uncle's father, the nephew's grandfather. A house that put a father's name on the bottle.
At night, at my desk, I wrote the name on the twelfth page of the new notebook. In the aroma box I put "just opened" and "two hours later" side by side and drew an arrow between them. What I learned today: some wines only show their face once you give them time.
What this wine is
The house's name means 'the descendants of José Palacios'. In the late 1990s Ricardo Pérez Palacios toured Bierzo in north-west Spain and proposed a joint venture to his uncle, Álvaro Palacios, already a celebrated winemaker in Catalonia's Priorat. The two founded the house in 1999 (1998 in some sources) and named it after José Palacios, Álvaro's father and Ricardo's grandfather, who died in 2000. Ricardo runs the winemaking and the operation.
Bierzo's lead grape is Mencía. Old Mencía vines are scattered over steep slopes around the village of Corullón, and the house makes its wines in Burgundian tiers — regional, village and single vineyard. Pétalos is the broadest, then the village wine Villa de Corullón, and at the top single vineyards such as Moncerbal, Las Lamas and La Faraona. The vines are farmed biodynamically; the house is no longer certified, but Ricardo still follows the fruit/leaf/flower/root calendar when applying preparations.
Pétalos is Spanish for 'petals'. I found no producer explanation of the name, so its story is unconfirmed; retailers describe it as a 'regional' Mencía balancing fruit, minerality and floral notes.
What the world says
The eight critic reviews gathered on Wine-Searcher aggregate to 91. James Suckling described the 2017 as crushed blackberry, asphalt and blueberry, full-bodied with lots of pepper and spice, still slightly dry — try after 2021. The critic scores on Vivino are also 90–93.
On Vivino this vintage averages 3.9 from 4,549 ratings, and the label as a whole 3.8 from 41,558. Most raters gave it 4 (2,794), but 3 is not rare either (1,311). The community stands a step back from the critics. Vintage averages from 2005 to 2023 range from 3.6 to 4.0, with 2020 onward the highest at 4.0.
The aroma keywords run blackberry and plum (1,375 mentions), oak and vanilla (1,270), cherry and raspberry (1,234), earth and leather (984), and pepper and licorice (638). Structure: acidity 3.9/5, intensity 3.4, tannin 3.0, sweetness 1.5. Several reviews say it improves with breathing.
"Bit harsh at first needs some time to breathe." — Vivino review, Dec 2021, 4.0
How I drank it
April 2, 2020, 3 stars. I wrote down cherry, earth, plum, red fruit, licorice and leather.
It was my second Pétalos. Many people say it's a bit pricey for an everyday wine and they can't find much beyond that, and the first time I felt the same. The second time, it got plenty of breathing. Licorice and leather came up and it felt a notch better. Still, my view that the price is high for the quality didn't change. At the end of the note I wrote that I should try other Mencías.
My 3 is below Vivino's 3.9 and further still from the critics' 91. I opened a bottle James Suckling said to give time to only a couple of years after bottling. What breathing improved was some of that time borrowed in the glass. This score isn't the last word on the bottle — it's the record of a second meeting with Mencía.
Where this wine shows up
Ricardo Pérez Palacios saw Bierzo and proposed a joint venture to his uncle Álvaro Palacios. The name comes from José Palacios, Álvaro's father and Ricardo's grandfather.
JancisRobinson.com — Vintage in Bierzo part 1: introducing DJP · Hedonism Wines — Descendientes de J. Palacios
Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.
Vivino community data
2017 vintage rating distribution (4549 ratings, average 3.9)
| 5★ | 347 (8%) | |
| 4★ | 2794 (61%) | |
| 3★ | 1311 (29%) | |
| 2★ | 74 (2%) | |
| 1★ | 23 (1%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Black fruit | 1375 | blackberry 376 · plum 314 · black cherry 142 · black fruit 131 · blueberry 115 |
| Oak | 1270 | oak 446 · vanilla 241 · tobacco 156 · chocolate 107 · cedar 62 |
| Red fruit | 1234 | cherry 450 · raspberry 208 · red fruit 198 · strawberry 135 · red cherry 77 |
| Earth & leather | 984 | earthy 287 · leather 185 · smoke 138 · minerals 85 · graphite 36 |
| Spice | 638 | pepper 235 · licorice 150 · white pepper 34 · cinnamon 33 · mint 30 |
Structure: Acidity 3.9/5 · Intensity 3.4/5 · Tannin 3.0/5 · Sweetness 1.5/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 41558 ratings, average 3.8)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 3.8 | 113 |
| 2006 | 3.6 | 284 |
| 2007 | 3.8 | 94 |
| 2008 | 3.7 | 612 |
| 2009 | 3.7 | 644 |
| 2010 | 3.7 | 1193 |
| 2011 | 3.7 | 2441 |
| 2012 | 3.7 | 2074 |
| 2013 | 3.8 | 2523 |
| 2014 | 3.8 | 3261 |
| 2015 | 3.8 | 3953 |
| 2016 | 3.8 | 3362 |
| 2017 | 3.9 | 4549 |
| 2018 | 3.8 | 3138 |
| 2019 | 3.9 | 3187 |
| 2020 | 4.0 | 2696 |
| 2021 | 4.0 | 2380 |
| 2022 | 4.0 | 1650 |
| 2023 | 4.0 | 553 |
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→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Descendientes de J. Palacios Pétalos?
The entry-level Mencía red made in Bierzo, north-west Spain, by Álvaro Palacios and his nephew Ricardo Pérez. The 2017 is 14.5% alcohol, 3.9 on Vivino (4,549 ratings), with a Wine-Searcher critic aggregate of 91.
How much does it cost?
Wine-Searcher's world average is US$15 per 750ml (ex-tax, Sep 2026). The 2017 is still available at two Portuguese retailers for US$15.85–16.77 (tax incl.). The house's village wine, Villa de Corullón, is US$53.
What food goes with it?
The Vivino community suggests veal, poultry and game. With lively acidity and medium tannin, it suits meat dishes that aren't too heavy. It's better after plenty of breathing than straight after opening.
What kind of grape is Mencía?
A red grape grown mainly in north-west Spain, in Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra and nearby. On Vivino's aroma data it shows fruit like blackberry and cherry with pepper, licorice and earth, and fairly high acidity. Pétalos 2017 scores acidity 3.9/5 and tannin 3.0/5.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- JancisRobinson.com — Vintage in Bierzo part 1: introducing DJP
- Hedonism Wines — Descendientes de J. Palacios
- Wine-Searcher — 2017 Descendientes de J. Palacios 'Petalos'
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