Castro Candaz La Vertical 2021

Castro Candaz La Vertical is a single-varietal Godello grown on the steep slopes of D.O. Ribeira Sacra in Galicia, a project conceived by Raúl Pérez, one of the most respected winemakers in Spain, who began his career in El Bierzo. The Ribeira Sacra sits along the Sil and Miño river gorges, where slate and schist soils force what growers here call heroic viticulture on near-vertical terraces. Slate retains warmth and reflects it back onto the vines, ripening Godello steadily while the Atlantic influence holds acidity and lends a saline lift. The wine spends twelve months in oak barrels, and the extended ageing on fine lees builds a fuller, rounder texture as the yeast cells break down and release mannoproteins that coat the palate. The colour is bright straw gold. The nose carries white peach, pear and citrus over toasted hazelnut, beeswax and a restrained oak spice. On the palate it is broad and mineral, the barrel-derived richness balanced by firm acidity and a stony, saline finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a white Burgundy glass. It suits grilled white fish, shellfish and roast chicken.