Winemaker Notes
Zarzal is a white wine with a clear varietal character that respects the identity of the Godello grape without renouncing freshness. It is a wine that attracts the most discerning connoisseurs from the first sip due to its great balance between the grape's own acidity and freshness.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Aged eight months in French oak foudres, the 2023 El Zarzal is a more complex, sophisticated take on the grape, with a hint of reduction on the nose. Textured, it’s floral and citrus-driven, offering the bright approachability of a young wine with the length and breadth of one that’s been aged. It finishes spectacularly in fennel.
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James Suckling
Honey and peaches, complemented by dried herbs and a citrus undertone. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, with vibrant acidity, good concentration and a persistent finish marked by subtle salinity.
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Vinous
The 2023 El Zarzal is a Godello from Bierzo. Aromas of baked green apple and apple peel mingle with white flowers and a subtle hint of oak aging. The palate is broad, with high acidity and a creamy texture. This is a full-bodied white with good volume and a fruit-driven, appealing finish. Long and expressive, it offers a modern take on Godello with a focus on fruit and texture.
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Wine Spectator
Theres a bright, buoyant feel to the acidity on display in this light-bodied, balanced white, a springboard for flavors of Honeycrisp apple, peach skin, blanched almond and fresh lemon thyme. Salty finish. Drink now through 2028. 4,200 cases made, 1,600 cases imported.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2023 Emilio Moro El Zarzal is light straw and opens with fresh aromas of garden herbs and sun-dried stones. On the palate, it is lifted and precise, revealing flavors of chalk and crisp minerality. A graceful match for hotate usuzukuri—thinly sliced raw scallops adorned with citrus and sea salt—where the wine’s subtle depth and stony elegance mirror the purity and finesse of the dish. (Tasted: July 20, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
Bodegas Emilio Moro is one of the oldest leading quality producers in Ribera del Duero. The history of the family goes back 3 generations. 1st generation Emilio Moro was born in 1891 and 2nd generation Emilio Moro in 1932. Both were born in a viticulture environment surrounded by vineyards and grew up treading grapes and racking wine in their native village of Pesquera de Duero, in the province of Valladolid.
Emilio Moro taught his son, Emilio how to make wine but also to love it. Then Emilio passed along that knowledge, passion, and love for wine to the third generation. Currently the third and fourth generation together run the winery.
The vineyards were grafted with the purest clone of Tinto Fino, commonly known as Tempranillo, recovered from the oldest vineyards that the family owns, Valderramiro and Resalso. Currently the family owns more than 200 hectares. They are located between 2,400 to 3,000 feet of elevation.
The third generation lead by Javier, Rubi and Fabiola started the newest project of the family when they were looking to the area within Spain capable of producing the best white wine. They settled in Bierzo in 2016 and have been making wines there with Godello variety ever since.
“Wine is art. If you listen, it speaks to you, it tells you when it needs to rack, when to rest. It’s like a living being that needs to be understood and cared for”. D. Emilio Moro
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.