Sorte O Soro 2011

In the Ourense valley of Bibei, at some distance from planet Rioja, and far removed from the wine that made his brother the “re-discoverer of Priorat”, the youngest Palacios-Remondo embarked on his wine adventure just nine years ago with a noble purpose - to make the best white wine in Spain.  In a short space of  time, Rafael Palacios has shaken up the region; raising the quality bar in the northwest corner of Spain with only 22 hectares of vineyard parcels on sandy granite soil, dotted over the right bank of the River Bibei and enjoying a purely Atlantic climate. The whites which he produces with young oenologist, Cecilia Fernandez, receive accolades and outstanding reviews year after year, placing them among the most remarkable white wines of the last decade. In the bodega and vineyards they always respect traditional viticultural practices following organic and biodynamic principles.

Appearance

Bright pale yellow. Visible tears.

Nose

At the knitting-in phase, its barrel-ageing is still too pronounced to begin with. Fruitier aromas, such as grapefruit skins, white flowers and fresh apricots, gradually emerge. Very pleasant.

Palate

Shows body and unctuosity, delicious flavours, with spicy notes from its evident ageing. Fresh with deep nuances. Fresh fruit aromas. Long, juicy and mineral finish. For laying down.

Comment

This white wine comes from a tiny plot of only 0.47 hectares which amounts to 2,680 bottles of this first vintage. As you can imagine, this is a good candidate for inclusion in Selectus Wines not just for its exclusivity, but also for its remarkable quality. The wine was fermented in large 500 litre barrels and then underwent eight months of ageing making it very robust, somewhat overpowering at first, but we are sure this will dissipate with the passing months. It is definitely a Godello thoroughbred which needs taming.  It shows us the potential of this native grape variety and gives us a glimpse of the magnificent richness of flavour which should develop in the next five years (at least).  A good candidate to surprise everyone at Christmas ... if you can get hold of a bottle and pair it with white veal with blanched turnip tops and apple sauce.

Glass by RIEDEL, SOMMELIERS collection, RIESLING GRAND CRU model