Guía Peñin (100/100)
R. Parker (98+/100)
The 2023 Sorte O Soro fermented in new 500-liter French oak barrels with indigenous yeasts and matured in those barrels with the fine lees after being pressed for seven months, yet the wine is anything but oaky. It feels austere and harmonious and combines power and elegance, with notes of dry herbs and flowers, perhaps a little too shy. It doesn't lack ripeness (Godello here routinely reaches 14% alcohol), but it has very good acidity and freshness, denoted by a pH of 3.01 and 7.7 grams of acidity, yet the wine is not acidic either, as ripeness and acidity compensate each other. There is a sense of purity and precision that I love. 1,900 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2024. This vineyard is also in the process of obtaining organic and biodynamic certification.
James Suckling (98/100)
As this opens in the glass, it reveals constantly changing notes of fennel and subtle citrus. Linear acidity leads, yet the nuanced texture and layered complexity make this truly distinctive. The palate is ample but has almost surgical precision—bright, austere and driven by mineral energy. From a vineyard planted in 1970 on decomposed granite terraces at 710 meters of altitude. It has all the elements to age gracefully.
Jancis Robinson (19/100)
Godello from striking north-facing granite terraces, rich in quartz. The vineyard was grafted in 1997 as part of a replanting project. Rafael Palacios refers to this site as ‘La Reina’. The wine was aged for seven months on its lees in 500-litre French oak barrels. Production limited to 1,500 bottles.
The attack is impressively voluminous, yet it quickly narrows and finishes with great depth. Notes of iodine emerge on the palate. This is a fluid, sapid and saline wine – pure, clean and profound. Reminiscent of a great Chablis Grand Cru, with oak that is perfectly integrated, enhancing without overpowering. A wine of maximum precision and deep emotional resonance, layered with minerality and salinity. With extraordinary ageing potential, it stretches across the palate with finesse and intensity. A wine of pure hedonism and refined complexity.