Winning Look

Nascent winery Bodega Son Mayol is making world-class wines in the Balearic Islands.

- WEETS GOH

Even during a time when people are exploring wines beyond world-renowned regions like Bordeaux and Rioja, the wines of Mallorca, Spain, remain relatively unknown. As the largest of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca enjoys a healthy tourism industry and a long history of winemaking stretching back to Roman times.

Pliny the Elder, Roman author and naturalist, wrote of its wines with great enthusiasm, comparing them to the best of Italy. While most of the wine produced on the island today is made from indigenous grapes, a growing handful of wineries are taking advantage of the island's microclimates and the moderating influence of the Mediterranean Sea to make international varietal wines that display great finesse.

Enter Bodega Son Mayol, which has been producing a Bordeaux-style Premiere Vin and Grand Vin from its 24ha vineyard since 2014.

As far as wineries go, Bodega Son Mayol is young but has considerable weight behind it. The wines are the creation of the late Patrick Leon, the highly influential winemaker who made wines for estates like Chateau Mouton-Rothschild and Opus One. Today, his work is continued by the winery's technical director Marie Barbe, who has seen winemaking experience all over the world and worked in places like India, Russia and Chile.

The Peak speaks to Barbe about making wine on an island paradise.