If BODEGAS PALACIO has a soul, it will most probably be found in Cosme Palacio y Hermanos, a wine that has changed the profile of Rioja”. This is how the makers of “Cosme Palacio y Hermanos Reserva Privada” introduced us to this wine that has since its conception been an example of the high standard of Rioja wines. At the same time it has adapted its profile to the new trends of the modern wine market.

The care with which Cosme Palacio makes the wine starts by taking advantage of the calcareous-clay soil, and by giving attention to each of the Tempranillo vines that make up the vineyard located in the Rioja Alavesa. The grapes coming from the old vineyards are smaller than the normal sized grape of the area, so the relation between pulp and skin is of good quality.
Also, in 2001 (a vintage in RIOJA marked as “excellent”), the acid level, colouring and polyphenols were higher than in previous ears, allowing this wine the best conditions for its later aging. The harvest took place in good conditions as the fruit was healthy due to the good weather.

In BODEGAS PALACIO the special selection of the fruit is primordial. Certain factors are vital such as orientation, altitude and the location of the vineyard. As each bunch of grapes reaches the sorting table it is selected or discarded according to the basic requirements established by the technical department of the Rioja wine cellar.

 

The quality of the wine is also marked by a low yield from the vineyard, tank fermentation of the stripped grapes: an alcoholic fermentation temperature controlled to 84°F and a prolonged maceration of four weeks.
Cosme Palacio y Hermanos Reserva Privida wine spends 18 months in new Bordeaux barrels. An exclusive consignment of 18.000 bottles of this wine arrives every year in the main Spanish wine shops and principal world markets, including the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.

The price of this acclaimed wine varies between 25 and 30 dollars. Robert Parker, an authority in this field, marked this wine with 90 points in his magazine “The Wine Advocate”. We should not forget to mention another famous winemaker, Michel Rolland, who is known throughout the world and who advised Bodegas Palacio when they were starting up.

 

 

TASTING NOTES
Cosme Palacio y Hermanos Reserva Privada 2001
DOCª RIOJA
BODEGAS PALACIO
COLOR : Lovely red-maroon dark color with saffron edges.
NOSE : An intense nose with notes of elegant red fruit and with the promise of an excellent long aging (spices, leather, balsamic, cigars) with a hint of coffee and cocoa. It seduces you from the first contact with the nose.
PALATE : Strong and full of flavor, it surprises you by its vivacity and character, then charms you with its elegance, smooth tannins and length in mouth.

A wine with character and personality, as well as a classic name associated with the history of the wine cellar, which is appreciated by connoisseurs and regular consumers of Rioja. Mr. Cosme Palacio y Bermejillo, who founded in 1894 what is known today as Bodegas Palacio, was at the time an important businessman with political connections.

 

In his search for quality Mr. Palacio ordered his wine labels to be designed in Italy, although he was trained in Montpellier (France).With his wine cellar he became part of that limited and very select group of historic companies known as “Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja”. (The official coveted classification of Spanish wine).

Nearly a century later in 1998, the group formed by “Hijos de Antonio Barcelo*” took over. They are one of the ten biggest winemaking companies in Spain and are present in the principal regions of the country (wine cellars in Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Vino de la Tierra de Castillo y Léon, as well as vineyards in Toro y Rueda).
Their wines are exported to more than 30 countries. Hijos de Antonio Barceló was founded in 1864. In addition to their experience they have applied new technologies that help Bodegas Palacio to be at the forefront of Rioja.

Situated in the Rioja village of Laguardia (220 miles north of Madrid), the wine cellar produces about two million bottles annually of single variety red and white wines, with Tempranillo and Viura grapes respectively. They are commercialized under the names of “Cosme”, “Cosme Reserva Privada”, “Glorioso” and “Bodegas Palacio”.
The 383 acres of vineyards are supervisedthroughout the whole year by the technical department. Their tanks have a capacity of 1.7 million gallons with a temperature control system to maintain the aromatic richness of the grape juice.

Bodegas Palacio renew their barrels every 6 or 7 years. They have one of the most important barrel parks in the area, comprising more than 10,000 units made of French oak and about 2,000 made of American oak. The wine sleeps in this sepulchral silence before it is rounded off in the wine rack that holds up to 1.5 million bottles.

Bodegas Palacio also have their own hotel. Built in the second half of the 19th century, and representative of the local architecture at the time, the building was refurbished in 1990 and converted into a charming French château-style hotel.
The intimate atmosphere and silence of the Old Winery is conveyed in their beautifully decorated spacious rooms, each one different. All the rooms have private bathrooms and are equipped with telephone and television.

In addition, the hotel also has an excellent restaurant where you can sample some of the superb local cuisine, renowned for the freshness and authenticity of its flavors.
Moeover, the hotel has a well-equipped library covering information on tourist routes, wine tasting courses, guided visits to the wineries and a full range of services that will assure that your stay is unforgettable. All this against the backdrop of a prestigious winery that has been vinefying and aging wines of high quality for more than a hundred years.

TOP OF THE PAGE