Winemaker Notes
Aromas of flint, wet stones, and Asian pear. Tension and saltiness on the palate, balanced by bright acidity.
Pairs well with sardines, sea bass, and cheese.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The cooler 2021 produced very fresh whites; they started picking grapes with 12.1% to 12.2% alcohol, and the 2021 La Vizcaína La del Vivo has a profile similar to the 2018. They don't do malolactic in their whites, and the wines have very good freshness and acidity. It comes from two plots on clay and sand. Part of the wine was fermented and aged in tinaja and developed some flor that gives the wine a very tasty and spicy twist. This is the first year when they only used foudres (no more barrels). The lees are never stirred, and the profile of the wine is not leesy. There is austerity, and it is bone-dry, with the oak neatly folded into the wine. 9,000 bottles produced. 95+
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.