"The 2009 As Sortes is also 100% Godello aged for 8 months in foudre sourced from 14 hectares of estate vineyard. Medium straw-colored, it offers up an expressive nose of mineral, spring flowers, honeysuckle, pear, and tropical notes. With huge volume on the palate and amazing concentration, this creamy textured effort is impeccably balanced and long. Drink it over the next 4 years." (WA)
A REMARKABLE, GRAND CHARDONNAY LOOK-A-LIKE FROM SPAIN FOR $34.95-A MUST TRY 2009 AS SORTES, GODELLO, -- from VALDEORRAS, SPAIN
Like me you may have never heard of the Godello grape before. This rich, complex, aromatic, pungent high-quality Spanish grape is almost certainly the same as the Portuguese Verdelho. For Godello is, by far, the premium white gape of the Valdeorras area, but because of its weather and labor intensive growing demands it accounts for less then 5% of the white grapes grown in this region, which is in northern Spain in the Galicia section a few miles north of the upper part of Portugal.
I most heartily recommend this elegant, buttery wine as a great companion with any sea-food, chicken or pork dish you would also serve with a prestigious premier or grand cru Chardonnay from Burgundy or an expensive Chardonnay from California. It has that sophistication and complexity as well as that butterscotch and mellow character one associates with Chardonnay, though with a touch less acid (but sufficient enough to still give the wine an appealing crispiness). As a side hint, this also is a fabulous wine to serve at a blind tasting because of its quality and not because of any “got you” feature.
I agree fully with Robert Parkers Spanish wine reviewer when he ranks this wine a prestigious 93 (the highest rank he even gave for various vintages of this wine) and writes, “The 2009 As Sortes is also 100% Godello aged for 8 months in foudre sourced from 14 hectares of estate vineyard. Medium straw-colored, it offers up an expressive nose of mineral, spring flowers, honeysuckle, pear, and tropical notes. With huge volume on the palate and amazing concentration, this creamy textured effort is impeccably balanced and long. Drink it over the next 4 years.” Regular price is at least $40 a bottle.
RATING: 93/94
PRICE: $34.95, ***bargain
WHERE: Los Angeles Wine Co.
(Martin's Guide to Wine Bargain)
Winery Notes:
Rafael Palacios began his wine project in Valdeorras in 2004,
purchasing mature vineyards of the indigenous Godello variety from
older local growers. His previous experience in the area as a consultant
had motivated him to try and recuperate the unique sub-zone of the
Bibei Valley in the Municipality of O Bolo – characterized by its granite
soils. The extreme topography and the low productivity of the soil had
led to the almost complete abandonment of grape production in this tiny
but historic county, cultivated traditionally on terraces.
The vineyards are located in the western part of the Valdeorras region,
on the right bank of the Bibei River at altitudes between 1800 and 2160
feet. The sandy soils are very distinct, and were developed through the
degradation of the granite substratum. The result is a low-fertile, acidic
soil prone to erosion. As Sortes’ selects vines from the following estate
parcels: Sorte dos Santos, Valverde, Chandoiro, Sorte Antiga 1920, Os
Caneiros, A Barca, Coalleira, Chao do Couso, Sorte Falcoeira, O
Castiñeiro. The predominance of small plots is the result of inheritances
drawn by lot, often out of a hat, called “Sorte” in the Galician language
and the inspiration for the name As Sortes. |
