Although founded by a family with a long history in wine, Descendientes is a recent investment. Alvaro Palacios is now a pillar of Spanish winegrowing but he left his Riojan family firm because he felt they were doing it wrong, to move to Priorat, where in those days the region was more or less a blank slate. The expansion to Bierzo, with nephew Ricardo Perez in charge was to develop the considerable charms of both the region and the subtle and rather beautiful Mencia grape variety. The 2017 vintage saw the introduction of a new winery, mostly underground and entirely gravity fed down the four storeys. The single plot wines are made in tiny quantities and the entry-level Petalos is sourced partly from trusted growers. Pretty much all the wines are field blends and include a tiny amount of white fruit. (121/08/19)