José Antonio Garcia palomino de Corullon 2020

Jose Antonio Garcia and his wife Julia are undeniably part of the new generation of winemakers in Bierzo. Their passion and pursuit of authenticity and sustainability result in refined wines with a gastronomic impact. During our visit to their estate, we were impressed by their meticulous approach and the careful handling in both the vineyards and the wine cellars.

Jose and Julia own around 17 hectares of vineyards, mainly in the municipality of Valtuille de Abajo and a smaller part in Corúllon. Both municipalities have been linked to Bierzo for generations; even Jose’s parents owned vineyards. They work hard in the vineyards and the winery themselves, which explains the name ‘VITICULTOR’ on their label. When they started their estate, they bought some old vineyards, ranging from 80 to 120 years old, and restored them to their biodiversity. These vines date from an era without the different clones that were created to obtain higher yields. The strength and the result of this reconstruction and age are clearly visible when you walk through their vineyards and compare them with those of their neighbours. Their approach is particularly strict and testifies to self-imposed discipline and perseverance, only local compost is used and only organic growing methods are applied.

This 100% palomino is perhaps the most unique white wine that José and his wife Julia make in Bierzo. This wine comes from one of the oldest vineyards in Europe, on the steep slopes in the municipality of Corúllon, dating back to the 'pre-genetic modification' era. These old vines are crucial for achieving the unique quality and authenticity in these wines. After manual harvesting and crushing, these palomino grapes undergo a skin maceration of 8 days. This allows the juice to absorb all the aromas of the skin, at the beginning of the natural, alcoholic fermentation.

The age of the vineyards, the extremely low yields, skin maceration and meticulous approach make for a white wine 'hors categorie', difficult to compare and classify with other wines but without a doubt among the greatest wines of the world. White wines with skin maceration (= orange wines) can often be a bit 'overdone', this wine shows that orange wine can be a great added value, if it is done in a controlled and measured way. In the glass you immediately recognize the light orange to deep golden yellow reflections in the glass. With its very intense nose, full of ripe white fruit, dried citrus and orange peel, fresh and dried flowers, herbs, earthy and mineral tones and even a hint of smokiness, this is a wine of enormous depth and layered complexity. Its juicy attack with fresh acids maintains balance, followed by a soft middle structure with a little bitterness in the finish, a particularly long finish by the way. This wine needs some extra oxygen, in a wider glass or carafe and even better with pure quality products on the plate, serve it a little warmer, take it out of the fridge about 45 minutes in advance or serve from a climate cabinet at 14°C. Enjoy and taste this wine with your best company and most beautiful dishes. Cheers!

Domain: José Antonio Garcia
Grape: 100% palomino
Country: Spain
Region: Bierzo
Wine style: full white (orange wine)
Wine & food: Pasta with white truffle, grilled red prawn with garlic, partridge in grape leaves, veal sweetbreads with Dijonaise
Serving temperature: 14°C
Storage: < 15 years consumption
Content: 75 cl