Galicia: Beyond Albariño

An amazing surprise by Viños de Encostas, of Ribeiro fame. The wine should not be tasted directly from the bottle. It needs vigorous aeration to free its multi-layered aromatic expression, with a lovely white pepper touch and restrained, elegant white fruit. The wine's texture is spectacular, finely sown, firm and lively. It has a style of its own, with outspoken depth worth comparing to the austere elegance of As Sortes, a kind of Meursault-versus-Montrachet situation. It keeps its fresh complexity for two days with the bottle open. From just outside the Valdeorras appellation.

Godeval, the rescuers of Godello, have finally entered the ranks of top quality producers. This is great Godello at its best – delicate, poised, multi-layered, its impressive concentration revealing itself little by little. Delicious, so exciting. It’s long, and it gives the impression that it will become even better in three or four years’ time. Single-vineyard wine from slate soils. A great achievement, this will become an icon.

Top wine. An amazing expression of complexity and a refinement of what Ribeiro can – and must – be. Not particularly intense on the nose: grassy and zesty, with a hint of green spice. Spectacular mouthfeel, amazingly balanced, with a baroque expression, showing different nuances after every sip, keeping a joyful, very fresh style despite the complexity. The finish shows that the wine has been carefully aged on its lees, and it promises nice development in bottle. I took the sample home, and tasted it over the next three days to check ageability, with good results. But nothing surpasses drinking a glass of it right now.

An extremely original wine made from the almost-extinct Blanco Lexítimo grape variety (also known as Albarín Blanco). It is intensely vegetal on the nose, with gooseberries, savia, hay, grass, asparagus notes. The sharp acidity in the mouth could indicate a green but somehow classy wine, but the tight structure, the intense extraction and long finish speak to a particular style – one that needs decanting. I took the bottle home to try it again the day after my initial tasting; it became round and long, a pleasure. A daring alternative to Sancerre.

For some people, this is a most idiosyncratic wine. For me, it is the epitome of the potential of Ribeiro. Emilio Rojo defies any classification. His wines do not indicate variety, but they show origin and style, with white fruit, white spice, zesty notes and some grass aromas, as well as a healthy bit of development. The mouthfeel is amazingly delicate and persistent, in a style of its own. I'd recommend sipping this wine – it is a unique experience. I would do it now, but I’m curious about its potential for ageing.

A benchmark Ribeiro wine, in which the terroir is far more important than the grape varieties (Treixadura, Albariño and Loureira among them). It has aromas of apple, hay, green curry and green tea leaves. Rich and juicy, with a very lively and smooth mouthfeel, plus a long aftertaste. This is not a wine to keep for the long run, but it's one to enjoy now.

In a very individual style, this is made from the Doña Blanca grape variety, which has a neutral aromatic expression that becomes quite complex and elegant after oxidative ageing. The nose is quite developed and not very fruity, giving way to a full-bodied silky and velvety mouthfeel. It is deep but restrained, a wine that requires a lot of attention, but gives a unique impression. A masterwork by José Luis Mateo, Monterrei's leading figure. Strongly advised to match top-notch fusion food.

An atypical example of Godello, intensely perfumed, with ripe white-fruit notes and a touch of tropical fruit. Concentrated and dense, with a very elegant and enticing bitterness. Definitely worth trying. This is one of those wines that demonstrates that Godello’s most important role is to convey terroir. The finish is very slow. A unique wine.

A very nice surprise, with aromas that open up slowly: white fruit, apricots and discreet wax notes, indicating extended lees contact. In the mouth, it is very serious and well structured, with a crisp acidity that suggests minerality and lovely citric fruit. Very persistent, with a tense and elegant finish. An excellent expression of Godello, built upon great fruit and deft ageing. A new star.

A sleek version of Godello from Valdeorras, more focused on texture than on aromatic expression. Great acidity, high extraction and lots of elegance. More hedonistic than complex, indicative of a special terroir, schist-based. Particular and very interesting – yet another distinctive option. Finish is long and a bit narrow, but very well-defined. There’s a lovely, subtle bitterness on the finish. To be drunk now and in four to five years’ time.

CVNE, the winery of Rioja fame, invested heavily in Valdeorras to harness the potential of the Godello grape. This wine is its first single-vineyard example, setting the bar very high indeed. Very clean, with zesty and white-fruit aromas, quite powerful, rich and very expressive. An ambitious wine – and an interesting alternative to the mineral styles of other top wines in the appellation.

A speciality of this winery, made with the unique Caíño Branco variety. Quite herbaceous, with hints of green curry and rosemary, it is very distinctive and difficult to identify as Rías Baixas. On the palate it is tight, balanced and lightly saline, displaying a finish with that bit of electricity that defines minerality so well. A very interesting proposal, so Galician and so particular.

A wild wine, complex and very original, with an amazing mix of grass, citrus and lemon peel, green apple, aromatic herb aromas and almonds coming together in a restrained by very enticing way. There’s a slight touch of volatility that, in my view, provides more complexity, but for many could be indicative of ‘naturalness’. Made in the Ribeiro region but out of the DOP system, the wine is a blend of Treixadura, Albariño, Godello, Lado and Loureira. Biodynamic viticulture, aged in amphora. So fresh and intriguing, love it or hate it.

This is a wine with lots of ambition. Bright colour, intense aromas, high volume, lots of fruit. It must come from a privileged patch of land, because the concentration is matched by nuanced aromas of apricot, brioche, lemon zest and white spice, and a remarkable roundness on the palate, with a spicy touch typical of oak contact. Quite long on the palate, it lacks just a bit of subtleness to be at the top. Promising.

Quite intense, with a nice array of typical Ribeiro flavours: herbs, hay, spice, savia. On the palate it is quite firm and creamy, with remarkable power and good structure. It opens up in the glass in a slightly more nuanced way. Brilliant, not in the league of the more complex wines, but a good entry point to high-class Ribeiro. Original winemaking with cryo-extraction at -26ºC, enhancing flavour extraction, plus long ageing in stainless steel.

Although this wine is 100% Treixadura, it expresses more about Ribeiro than it does about the grape variety. Medium intensity, quite nuanced, with grassy and zesty aromas. It is fresh and lively but quite solidly built, with an open and persistent finish. Very nice, a fruit-driven wine.

A free-style expression of terroir, with understated fruit and wild yeast, apple, grass and lemon-zest aromas. A style to love or to hate, but definitely one with a well-defined profile. Low alcohol and high acidity. Harmonious on the palate. It is fragrant in its peculiar aromas, but the texture and the evidence of ripe, healthy fruit indicate doubtless quality. A very attractive alternative wine from the Ribeira Sacra region, but outside the DOP.

Lots of value for money in this wine; intense and fresh, clean, ripe, expressive. Well structured and defined by precision. It’s not complex, nor is it very long, but it is still a textbook wine for approaching young Godello. A small downside is that the lees are a bit too obvious, but the wine is highly enjoyable.

A clean, well-defined blend of Godello and Treixadura from Monterrei, a region more dedicated to red wines. It has yellow and white fruit and an immediate appeal on the nose; it's not very intense. Balanced, fresh, quite straightforward and open, with a light salinity. Excellent value for money, and good to drink in one or two years’ time.