2016 Rafael Palacios Valdeorras Sorte O Soro

Taking a big step up, the 2016 Sorte O Soro Val Do Bibei is another naked, raw, yet thrilling, pure white from this estate. Lime, white flowers, liquid rock, and citrus notes all develop with time in the glass and it has an Alcasian Riesling-like pure, richness, and texture. Concentrated, medium-bodied, with good acidity and ample concentration, it’s a tour de force in white wine from Spain. Bravo!

100% Godello. Single plot of 0.47 ha for 40-year-old vines (planted in 1978 with a low-vigour clone). South-west aspect at 710 m of elevation in the subzone of Bibei, on fine sandy soils with quartz schists. Traditional and biodynamic viticulture. Hand harvested, pneumatic pressing, spontaneous fermentation followed by seven months' ageing in new 500-litre French oak demi-muids. Tasted blind. Powerful, astonishing even. It is concentrated, with salinity over an appetising creamy background. Remarkably sweet at the beginning, with personality indeed, but keeping the softness and finesse. On the back palate, lots of fennel aromas and minerality. I love its texture, its volume and nerve. (FC)

I had high expectations for the 2016 Sorte O Soro, one of my favorite modern unfortified white wines in Spain. The wines have gained precision in the last few years, and I was curious to see in which direction this O Soro was going. This comes from a single plot of old-vine Godello planted in 1978 on a north-facing, sandy granite amphitheater at 710 meters in altitude. The vineyard is organically farmed and is in the process of being certified by Demeter. The must fermented in new 500-liter oak barrels with indigenous yeasts and had an élevage of seven months with the fine lees in those barrels. However, there is no oak to be found on the nose or in the flavors, and it's fragrant, subtle and elegant with aromas of white flowers with the coldness of granite. It feels like an updated version of the 2014, silky and elegant but also very intense with pungent and persistent flavors and a strong saline sensation on the finish that lingers in your mouth for a very long time. Vibrant, electric, intense, regal and noble, with great purity, this is one of the finest white wines produced in Spain. This is the stuff that dreams are made of. 2,800 bottles were filled in September 2017.