2023 Quiñón de Valmira, Palacios Remondo

At once ethereal and grounded, the 2023 Quiñón de Valmira captures the rare balance between grace and gravitas that only Álvaro Palacios can conjure. From a single, limestone-rich vineyard perched at 616 metres on the slopes of Yerga Mountain in Rioja Oriental, this Grenache speaks with a voice both delicate and resonant. The nose is a perfumed swirl of wild strawberry, tangerine peel, rose petals and mountain herbs, laced with a mineral hum of stone and smoke. On the palate, it glides effortlessly between lightness and depth,  supple red fruit, silken texture, and crystalline acidity wrapped around a spine of fine, grippy tannin. The finish is endless, pure, and alive with energy.

For when: quiet conversation turns profound.
Pairs with: seared duck breast, saffron-spiced dishes, or wild mushroom risotto.
If this wine were a sound: a single violin note held just long enough to make you close your eyes.

Quiñón de Valmira is the pinnacle of Palacios Remondo’s mountain viticulture,  a vivid expression of Garnacha’s nobility through altitude, limestone, and meticulous care. Álvaro Palacios, famed for L’Ermita and Finca Dofí in Priorat, brings the same precision and reverence to Rioja, crafting wines that feel almost weightless in their power. The 2023 vintage, awarded 100 points by Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate), is a triumph of restraint and intuition: shorter maceration, gentler élevage, and an intuitive sense of timing that has yielded a wine of haunting finesse. Just 3,062 bottles exist, a true expression of place and patience, a Rioja that dances on air yet lingers like a memory.