A businessman in the meat industry, Javier Palacios started his own winemaking project in Rioja in 2012. The original idea of producing only white wines from the authorised varieties in Rioja, including some of the latest to be approved such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdejo, has gradually evolved to focus on terroir and indigenous varieties. Likewise, the range of wines has grown to incorporate reds, and the company has expanded to Ribera del Duero with the purchase of Bodegas Trus.
In Rioja they have built two different wineries in Nalda, around 20 km south of Logroño: Nivarius for whites and Proelio for reds. The range has experienced several changes in the winery’s short history and now the focus is on the various sites where the grapes are grown. Italian winemaker Alberto Antonini and soil expert Pedro Parra have greatly helped in this sense.
Most of the vineyards destined for white wines, some 60 hectares of north-facing vineyards, extend between Nalda and the neighbouring village of Albelda de Iregua, up the slopes of the Sierra de Moncalvillo to reach 840 metres at its highest point. This is a particularly cold area well suited to grow Tempranillo Blanco, Viura or Maturana Blanca. Smaller batches of white grapes are sourced from the from Alto Najerilla and Sonsierra areas.
As for the red wines, Tempranillo is also sourced from Sonsierra (mainly Briones and San Asensio), but the bulk of their production is Garnacha from the Alto Najerilla Valley, another particularly cold area in Rioja where, until not so long ago, clarete, a popular local rosé was dominant. Palacios currently owns around 20 hectares in the villages of Cárdenas and Badarán, and buys as much from purveyors. The casual purchase, almost by chance, of neglected vineyards in this area, led to discover its vast potential. With vineyards grown up to 650 metres, elevation is also a key quality factor here.
Large 500-litre barrels and foudres with a capacity of 3,000 to 4,000 litres are preferred for Garnacha and white wines. Some stems are also employed to ferment Garnacha.
There are two red blends labelled with traditional ageing indications: Proelio Crianza (€10 in Spain) and Proelio Reserva (€18), both usually combining grapes from the areas mentioned above. Proelio Viñedos Viejos (also around €18 in Spain) seeks to convey the crisp Garnacha character from Alto Najerilla. The premium range includes two single vineyard wines, both retailing around €45 in Spain. Whilst La Canal de Rojo is comes from 80-year-old Garnacha vines from Badarán, Tempranillo for Puerto Rubio is sourced from a shallow plot on limestone rock at 488 metres above sea level in San Vicente de la Sonsierra.
The Nivarius range of white wines starts with a Tempranillo Blanco (€7) marked by cold growing conditions and a barrel fermented (€10) multi-varietal blend of Viura, Maturana Blanca, Tempranillo Blanco and Garnacha Blanca which includes some batches of grapes sourced from other areas beyond Nalda. Nivarius Edición Limitada (€14) blends old Viura from Moncalvillo and Alto Najerilla, and Maturana from Nalda that is aged in large oak vats. There are two premium white wines. Finca La Nevera (€27), a Maturana showing the potential of this low-yielding variety sparingly planted in Rioja so far, and Valdesabril, old Viura grown on sandy soils in an elevated site saddled between Badarán and Baños de Río Tobía in the Alto Najerilla valley.
The latest addition to the range is Lía by Nivarius (€10.50), a fun pet-nat Garnacha rosé that cannot be sold with the DOCa Rioja seal.
