Regarded as one of Spain’s finest white winemakers, Rafeal Palacios left his family’s winery in Rioja in 2004 for the rugged Valdeorras corner of north-western Spain close to the Portuguese border. In total he has assembled 24.5 hectares of vines in the Val do Bibei, a dramatic landscape of steep granitic slopes and old gnarled Godello vines which are up to 100 years old. The tough conditions and inaccessibility mean everything has to be done by hand including the harvesting.
Rafael’s top expression is his unparalleled Sorte O Soro which comes from a single 0.47 hectare plot of 40 year old vines. This was actually the very first site Rafeal bought when he came to Valdeorras and it is farmed biodynamically to preserve the natural balance. Once in the winery the must is fermented using wild yeasts and aged in 500 litre French casks for 7 months.
The result is a truly sensational white wine that frequently wins 98+ points from the Wine Advocate and other top wine magazines. The nose is bursting with peaches, apricots, lychee and hints of dried herbs, honeysuckle and citrus, while the first sip reveals a mouthwatering acidity, well-rounded texture and long finish seasoned with toast and spice.