Sorte Antiga 2021
DO Valdeorras, Rafael Palacios, 750 ml
Description
An expressive, great wine from the special Antiga vineyard. This "single vineyard" was planted in 1920 and is now farmed biodynamically. The vines, which are over a hundred years old, grow on poor granite soil and produce small berries and very low yields. Rafael Palacios produces less than 1,000 bottles per year. Deep and complex, Sorte Antiga shows notes of the finest bourbon vanilla, of exotic fruits such as ripe, juicy pineapple and passion fruit, accompanied by the scent of elderflower and English tea roses. In its elegant, delicate style with some tannic rip, it is reminiscent of the finest Burgundy and offers wonderful fruit extract, richness, and an exciting minerality on the palate that lingers long on the finish. The Godello was spontaneously fermented with the skins, but without losing the varietal character and elegance. After a few years of ageing, it will show its full potential. When young, it is therefore worth caraffing it before drinking.
Attributes
| Grape variety: | Godello |
| Producer: | Bodega Rafael Palacios S.L. |
| Origin: | Spain / Galicia / Valdeorras |
| Ripening potential: | 3 to 20 years |
| Drinking temperature: | 10 to 12 °C |
| Food Pairing: | Grilled fish, Risotto ai frutti di mare, Asparagus specialities, Fish ragout with saffron sauce, Scaloppine di vitello al limone |
| Vinification: | fully destemmed, fermentation in wooden barrel, soft pressing |
| Harvest: | strict selection |
| Maturation: | in large wooden barrel/foudre, some months bottle storage before sale |
| Bottling: | filtration |
| Maturation duration: | 8 months |
| Volume: | 14.0 % |
| Note: | Contains sulphites |
Godello
Mentioned by roman scholars
This white autochthonous variety from Galicia can look back on a long tradition. The Roman scholar Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE) even mentioned Godello in his encyclopedic work on natural history. He associated the vine with the Bergidum Flavium region, which today is the Bierzo wine-growing area.
For a long time, the power resting in the Godello was disregarded in favour of other grape varieties. But in the 1970s, a few avid vintners discovered its potential, and since then Godello has gained ever more attention and importance, and its vineyard area is continually expanding across all of Spain.
Valdeorras
Valdeorras: a hint of Burgundy
In the western foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains, under the influence of the cool air of the Atlantic, wholesome white wines with seemingly Burgundian finesse have been produced for several years. The basis for this white wine wonder in the small but beautiful Valdeorras wine-growing region is the Godello variety. Thanks to new plantings and the restoration of old parcels, the quality of wines here has only increased in recent years. The top crus are increasingly aged on the fine lees.
Galicia
Galicia: shaped by the cool Atlantic
Situated in the far northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, Galicia is like a tip which pushes west toward the Atlantic Ocean, north of Portugal. In keeping with this exposed location, wines made here, with their fresh, straightforward character, depart strikingly from the general style of Spanish wines. With four cultivation areas with DO status, Galicia is drawing noticeably more international interest. White wines from autochthonous varieties are mostly produced here.
Spain
Spain – Variety and perfection
“Somewhere in la Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember...,” begins Don Quixote's odyssey.
The most famous part is definitely when Don Quixote thinks windmills are his enemy and wants to fight them – until they nearly kill him. It’s possible there was a bit too much of the La Mancha wine at play. Spanish vines fight for their survival in rugged landscapes, battling fierce drought and rough soils. But they fight well.
