Winemaker Notes
Cuvée de O Godello expresses the freshest expression of the Valdeorras' unique slate soils and indigenous clones of Godello. Sur lie ageing and used large format barrel fermentation impart a weight and complexity to Cuvée de O that sets it apart from other young Godellos
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2024 Godello Cuvée de O is from Larouco and Córgomo, Valdeorras. This was grown on slate soils and was recently bottled. It opens with anise, fresh pear and green tea aromas, offering a frank expression. This is creamy yet agile on the palate, with a lingering, flavorful finish.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2024 Cuvee De O Godello is creamy, fruity, and exuberant, with a sublime texture. Sourced from across the appellation, from recovered, head-trained dry-farmed vineyards planted mostly in the 1990s, it has balanced acidity and length, aged on the lees for eight months in stainless and neutral puncheon. The black slate soil for which the area is known contributes undeniable minerality, which keeps this medium-bodied wine buoyant and fresh.
-
James Suckling
This is expressive, showing aromas of white peaches and a touch of honeyed fruit underpinned by a lovely mineral edge. Textured and fun, though slightly simple and lacking drive. Still, it carries a joyful, easygoing charm that makes it highly drinkable.
Bodegas Avancia lies snuggled in the slate dominant mountainsides of Valdeorras, high above the Sil River. Named for the extensive gold mining that the Romans conducted in this area, (Val-de-Oras roughly translates to Valley-of-Gold in Latin) Valdeorras is home to the finest terroir for growing two of Spain’s most important indigenous grapes – Godello and Mencía.
Jorge was the first broker to introduce Godello into the United States, and for many years, was the only merchant offering a wine made from this unique grape. Jorge always dreamed of having his own Godello project, and Bodegas Avancia is the result of this dream. Bodegas Avancia produces the finest Godello wines in all of Spain.
In 2016, Robert Parker, Jr. stated “One of my favorite wineries in Spain is Bodegas Avancia. This is a small estate of roughly 23 acres, dry farmed (a characteristic of all of the selections of Jorge Ordóñez), with organic viticulture. Their specialty is working with the Godello grape, which may well be Spain’s finest indigenous white grape. It has the texture of a Chardonnay, but with crisp, mineral and floral notes in its aromatics. Avancia is certainly the top producer of this intriguing and delicious dry white.” Jorge also selected D.O. Valdeorras due to its unique conditions for growing Mencía, Galicia’s most important red grape. The combination of slate soils, high altitudes, old vines, and warmer climate compared to the rest of Galicia provide Valdeorras with the best terroir for growing Mencía.
Godello is native to northwest Spain and has experienced a major revival in the last 20 years. Godello wines are typically sleek and lightly creamy in texture. Barrel fermentation and lees stirring are typical in Valdeorras, Spain where the grape comes from. These winemaking techniques make the most of Godello's inherent structure and help bring out its lovely floral character. Somm Secret—DNA profiling says that Spain’s Godello is actually identical to the Portugese grape variety Gouveio, which grows throughout the Douro and Dão (where it used to mistakenly be called Verdelho).
Just to the south of Bierzo, the steeply terraced Valdeorras Spanish wine region is a respected source of both red and white wines. Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet) and Mencía are the principal red varieties while Godello and Palomino compose the majority of this region's whites.