Winemaker Notes
Fresh and lively, this yellow-hued white wine delivers a granitic punch on the nose. Sensations of bay leaf, white peach, and crystallized ginger dance on the palate with a salty, thirst-quenching finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Branco de Santa Cruz is the village white from Valdeorras, fermented and matured in oak and foudres for 10 months. This white has been growing in quality, and 2019 could very well be the finest, most elegant, nuanced and expressive vintage to date. It's not exuberant or showy. It feels a little restrained, very tasty with a salty quality on the finish.
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.