Rafael Palacios Louro Godello 2022

The 2020 Louro is a little riper than the 2019 and has a softer palate. The process was the same as always, fermentation in 3,500-liter French oak foudres, where the wine matured with lees for four months. It has 14.1% alcohol with a pH of 3.26 and 6.6 grams of acidity. It feels very young and a little closed, reductive perhaps. It's quite fruit-driven, and there is a sensation of a little more ripeness here, more balsamic. It's quite round and gentle but with a nice mineral background. This feels undeveloped, but it should improve with a little more time in bottle. 175,000 bottles were produced. The wine was bottled between May and June 2021 from a single master blend.

The 2020 Louro is a little riper than the 2019 and has a softer palate. The process was the same as always, fermentation in 3,500-liter French oak foudres, where the wine matured with lees for four months. It has 14.1% alcohol with a pH of 3.26 and 6.6 grams of acidity. It feels very young and a little closed, reductive perhaps. It's quite fruit-driven, and there is a sensation of a little more ripeness here, more balsamic. It's quite round and gentle but with a nice mineral background.Rating: 92+

In the same style, the 2017 Louro Do Bolo is a blend of 92% Godello and 8% Treixadura from sandy, granitic soils, fermented and aged in larger foudre. Crushed lime, citrus pith, white flowers, and a beautiful salinity all give way to a medium-bodied, racy, vibrant white that makes you salivate. It’s going to be incredibly versatile on the dinner table, and while I’d drink bottles over the coming year or so, I wouldn’t be surprised if this evolves gracefully for longer.

Bright, green-tinged straw. Incisive, mineral-accented aromas of tangerine, pear skin and white flowers, with an intense gingery topnote. Dry and sharply focused on the palate, offering concentrated citrus and orchard fruit and floral flavors underscored by chalky minerality. Finishes dry and very long, with resonating orange zest and jasmine qualities and lingering minerality. Following fermentation in French oak foudres this wine was aged on its lees for four months.