Winemaker Notes
The Palacios Remondo winery is located in the eastern portion of Spain’s oldest and best known winemaking region, the D.O.C. Rioja. The estate’s flagship wine, Propiedad,is made from old-vine Garnacha that grows in five unique high-elevation vineyards resting on the rocky hillsides of Rioja Oriental. Produced in a vintage characterized as ‘Very Good’ by the D.O.Ca. Rioja, the 2012 Propiedad contains enticing aromas of ripe plumbs, fresh orange peel, warm Mediterranean herbs and vine-ripened berries. With well-balanced acidity, the wine is incredibly silky and soft on the mid-palate. Feminine, fruity and floral, akin to the world’s best Pinot Noirs, the 2012 Propiedad contains round tannins and an incredibly long finish. Meant to drink now or age up to ten years, only 1,746 9-liter cases were produced.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Beautiful, fresh nose of ripe strawberries, black cherries and plums with stony and herbal undertones. Medium to full body, concentrated soft and juicy tannins and a long, strawberry- and spice-like mocha finish. From 100% garnacha old vines. Better in 2018.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Rioja Tinto Propiedad is now pure Garnacha (it's a wine that has changed over time, and it's now sourced from five plots of old Garnacha vines at the top of their property). Despite being from a warm and dry harvest, it feels fresher than the 2011 I tasted last year. It matured in French oak barrels for 14 months. Bright ruby-colored, similar to the La Montesa, it is a little more backward and closed, more serious. It's pure fruit juice with the earthy, silky and harmonious notes of pure Garnacha that is full of cherries, strawberries and red currants. The palate is refined, elegant and sinewy, silky, transparent and focused. It is a delicious, explosion of pure red berries. There is an extra degree of elegance and finesse when tasted next to the 2012 La Montesa. I think this wine is finally coming into its own. Rating: 93(+) Points.
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Wine Spectator
This generous red delivers macerated cherry, toasted vanilla, spice, floral and dried herb flavors in a seamless, silky texture, supported by light, well-integrated tannins and enough acidity to stay fresh.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
Highly regarded for distinctive and age-worthy red wines, Rioja is Spain’s most celebrated wine region. Made up of three different sub-regions of varying elevation: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental. Wines are typically a blend of fruit from all three, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta, at the highest elevation, is considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier Rioja Oriental produce wines with deep color and higher alcohol, which can add great body and richness to a blend.
Fresh and fruity Rioja wines labeled, Joven, (meaning young) see minimal aging before release, but more serious Rioja wines undergo multiple years in oak. Crianza and Reserva styles are aged for one year in oak, and Gran Reserva at least two, but in practice this maturation period is often quite a bit longer—up to about fifteen years.
Tempranillo provides the backbone of Rioja red wines, adding complex notes of red and black fruit, leather, toast and tobacco, while Garnacha supplies body. In smaller percentages, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan) often serve as “seasoning” with additional flavors and aromas. These same varieties are responsible for flavorful dry rosés.
White wines, typically balancing freshness with complexity, are made mostly from crisp, fresh Viura. Some whites are blends of Viura with aromatic Malvasia, and then barrel fermented and aged to make a more ample, richer style of white.