spanish wines - Monterrei

Alanda is the entry-level white wine of José Luis Mateo and showcases the range of white grape varieties he has recovered in the region. He has done remarkable work bringing these nearly forgotten varieties back into focus. All his wines are made organically. It is a typical “village wine”, with a production of around 10,000 bottles.

An Atlantic-climate wine coming from Southern Galicia. Its Burgundy, refined style is that of a different Spain.

Bastardo, aias Merenzao, is a rare Galician grape, a variant of the Trousseau from Jura. This is an authentic wine, showing a somewhat Bourguignon-approach re terroir and elegance.

Gorvia is the name of an enclave in Monterrei. The vineyard was planted by José Luis Mateo’s father in 1985 and has a southern exposure. The wines of the estate are vinified biodynamically.

The smoky and leesy 2019 Gorvia Blanco is a single-vineyard white from a classified vineyard, the first one he planted 38 years ago with trellises and later transformed to goblet. It's one hectare on a slope by the Monterrei Castle on decomposed and complex slate soils, mostly Dona Blanca with 5% Treixadura and Verdello Antiguo. It fermented in a 1,500-liter foudre and a 500-liter barrel, all used and neutral, where the wine is kept with lees for one year, then blended and put in stainless steel for one more year. It feels young and undeveloped; it's still pale and primary, with notes of herbs and fennel, crushed stones and a balanced palate with precision, delineation and purity and with a very tasty finish. The variety is considered quite neutral but does reflect the character of the place quite faithfully ... at least when worked like this! Bravo! 2,500 numbered bottled were filled in November 2021.

This wine is named after a small enclave in the D.O. Monterey: Govia. The estate's wines are all farmed biodynamically.

This wine is named after a small enclave in the D.O. Monterey: Govia. The estate's wines are all farmed biodynamically.

José Luis Mateo's personal creation: he has revived a long forgotten white grape, the Monstruosa de Monterrei, which he had found in his vines. He then replanted some 750 plants of it in a small vineyard. Monstruosa refers to “monstrous” grapes, in this case showing balanced acidity and a structure that promises many years of ageing potential.

With this wine, José Luis Mateo has accomplished a tour de force and a première, recuperating the Verdello Antiguo, an old clone of Godelllo from the Monterrei heights. This wine has more tension than your usual Godello.