Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with sardines, sea bass, and cheese.
Professional Ratings
-
Vinous
The 2022 Godello La Vizcaína La del Vivo from Lomas de Valtuille, Bierzo, is 95% Godello and 5% Doña Blanca, aged one year in amphorae and then in barrels and foudres. The 2022 is fragrant with white flowers, pear and herbal notes. It is creamy, medium-bodied, delicate and fresh. Balanced at 12.5%, it avoids weakness while highlighting textural richness from amphora aging and vibrant acidity.
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.