Rafael Palacios Louro do Bolo Valdeorras 2023

You know me, I like to head off the major roadways and veer off into the mountains to find my favorite wines. But with this one, there wasn’t a major road in any direction for miles!

Rafael Palacios’ Valdeorras project is about as pure as it comes. He manages 32 plots of Godello vines along rocky, steep terraced landscapes with granite base soils at high elevations. There, 1200-1500 feet above sea level, he organically and biodynamically farms Godello and Godello only off clay-limestone and schist soils. He’s responsible for some of the most electric, energetic expressions of the beloved white wine grape.

This is not a project for everyone. Godello can be very fickle and easily become too rich or tropical, especially in hot years. It has a very short window for ‘optimal ripeness’ so you really have to know what you’re doing in the vineyards to have any shot. You need to know how to take care of the vines, the grapes, and the cellaring – and Rafael Palacios makes this rigorous process look like a friggin walk around the park. That’s why he’s quickly becoming one of Spain’s greatest winemakers.