Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Godello Sobre Lías is a cuvée from different vineyards on grey slate soils from the Vilamartín de Valdeorras village; it fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and was aged in contact with the lees for six months with weekly bâttonage. If they consider 2015 a Mediterranean vintage, 2014 is quite the opposite, a cool year. Subtle and elegant, it whispers to you about white fruit, bay leaf and hints of fennel. The palate is nicely textured with a subtle minerality that makes it quite long and supple.
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.