Winemaker Notes
The Godello is from three sites in the village of Valtuille de Abajo, though 90% of the fruit in this vintage actually comes from one north-facing site. The ultimate focus here is on preserving acidity, so this wine is picked on the knife edge of ripeness.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The white 2021 Ultreia Godello shows freshness, restraint, balance and good freshness, with a very low pH of 3.19. It was produced with grapes mostly from Cacabelos and some from around Valtuille, mostly from their own vineyards; they purchased a large vineyard with some vines planted in 1906 and another plot regrafted from Palomino, and this wine is now some 70% from their own vines. It fermented in oak foudres and barriques. It has contained ripeness, 13.5% alcohol and a very fresh and mineral profile. They produced around 35,000 bottles of this.
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).
One of the few northwestern Spanish regions with a focus on a red variety, Bierzo, part of Castilla y León, is home to the flowery and fruity Mencia grape. Mencia produces balanced and bright red wines full of strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate, baking spice, pepper and black licorice. The well-drained soils of Bierzo are slate and granite.