As Sortes 2024

As Sortes is a single variety Godello from the D.O. Valdeorras in Galicia, made by Rafael Palacios in the Val do Bibei. Palacios comes from a leading Spanish wine family and built his name reviving Godello, a variety that had almost disappeared from the region. The vineyards sit on steep slopes of decomposed granite, a soil that drains hard and gives the wine its mineral, saline edge, while the Atlantic climate keeps acidity firm even as the fruit ripens fully. The wine is fermented and aged for around eight months in French oak, mostly larger and used barrels, so the oak works as texture and oxygen rather than obvious flavour, and time on the fine lees adds breadth and a creamy weight. Expect ripe white peach and apricot with pear, a touch of honey and a clear salty, mineral note, and a subtle almond hint from the lees. The palate is full but precise, with a long, saline finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a white Burgundy glass. It suits fuller fish and white meats.