Adega Damm Godello 2023

Adega Damm makes this Godello in the Ribeira Sacra in Galicia, in north western Spain, one of the most dramatic wine regions anywhere. The vines grow on steep, hand built terraces that climb the gorges of the Sil and Miño rivers, where the slopes are so severe that all the work is done by hand. Those terraces face the river and catch the sun while the moving water and altitude moderate the temperature, giving fruit that ripens fully but keeps a fresh acid line. Godello is a textured white variety with good body, and here it is aged for six months in oak barrels. That short time in wood, along with contact with the lees, rounds out the texture and adds a subtle waxy note without covering the fruit. The 2023 pours bright pale gold. The nose is clean and fresh, with white peach, pear and lemon over white flowers and a light mineral edge. The palate is polished and balanced, with ripe orchard and melon fruit, a rounded mid palate from the oak and a clean, mineral finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a white wine glass.