Winemaker Notes
Sourced from one of the oldest, most traditional vineyards planted in Valdeorras, Avancia Godello expresses the authenticity the history of Valdeorras and the oldest genetic material of Godello in the world. A completely unique white wine that ages beautifully.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Minerally and stony on the nose, with crushed rocks and underripe stone fruit. The palate is ample yet sharp, showing precision and fine balance between texture and acidity. Austere but expressive.
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Jeb Dunnuck
There was a long period of time in which Godello almost went extinct. Today it’s one of the hottest grapes in Spain. The 2024 Godello Old Vines shows why, a 100% varietal wine from vineyards planted between 1900 and 1991 in the town of Petin in predominantly slate soils that tastes of lemon-seasoned wet stone and dried herb, aromatically compelling in floral prettiness. The acidity is fresh and well-integrated, helping to elongate the medium-bodied palate to a satisfying finish.
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.