Estrada Palacio Sentif White 2022

Area: 7ha • DO: Aragon (Somontano) • Elevation: 450m above sea level • Soil: poor, sandy • Vine age: 25-80 • Grape varieties: old vine Macabeo & Incrocio Manzoni, old field blend • Farming practices: sustainable/non-irrigated

The Palacio family roots go back roughly five centuries in the town of Bespén, in northern Spain, just

south of the Pyrenees mountains. The town itself is tiny, and centered around a humble stone

monastery. Fewer than 100 people live there currently, as each new generation heads off to cities and

other locales in search of economic opportunities. The winery took on the name “Palacio” over 100

years ago, when grandfather Martin continued the family tradition of growing vines and making wines in

the rustic (by-any-definition) ancient cellar. He was followed by son Francisco who kept working in the

old subterranean cave; since 2006 Francisco’s three children José, Carlos, and Ana have carried on

the legacy, which includes a new winery. In addition to grapes, the family has been farming cereal,

olive, and almond trees for generations, and they maintain greenhouses so that they can enjoy fresh

vegetables year round.

Bespén is in DO Aragon, in the newer wine region of Somontano, which means ‘under the mountain.’

Much of Somontano is greener and lusher than inland Spain, since it tends to experience heavy winter

rains that are supplemented by a network of rivers and streams flowing down off the mountains.

However, the Palacios vineyards tend to be sandy and dry, with very little organic matter. A few

cooperatives make most of Somontano’s wine, all of them established in the late 80s and early 90s. At

that point international varieties were the main selling point, but by 2010, those same well-known

varieties (like Cab and Syrah) had become its biggest hurdle, as it was forced to compete out in the

world with those same grapes from more well-known regions––according to winemaker Carlos Palacio,

they got clobbered by Yellow Tail. So what followed was a resurrecting and replanting of native

varieties; not that Estrada Palacio ever wavered from their roots, of course. Now you’ll find Garnacha,

Tempranillo, Garnacha Blanca and some lesser-known varieties such as Moristel, Parraleta, and the

almost extinct Alcañón, as well as Macabeo. Chardonnay and Riesling are also in the mix. And there is

a tiny bit of Incrocio Manzoni Bianco, a cross of Riesling and Pinot Bianco created in Veneto by

Professor of Oenology Luigi Manzoni sometime between 1924 and 1935. There is very little of this

grape planted in Italy, and even less in Spain.

Hand-harvested and fermented in stainless steel, aged 6 months in oak.