Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Some 70% of the 2013 La Vizcaína la del Vivo was fermented in amphorae, part of it with the skins for one year and the other without skins, plus some wine that was aged in oak vat. In 2013 it's pure Godello (it doesn't have any Doña Blanca anymore), and it has some organic notes, hints of mushrooms, something earthy, hints of fennel and aniseed, with some pollen and beeswax. This is a little extreme, but I like it very much.
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.