Ribeira Sacra – the tasting notes

I was especially happy when I uncovered the bottle and discovered the label. Lapena has been one of my favourites for a long time and I opened hundreds of bottles of this wine from low-yielding vines (averaging less than 500 g/vine) at elBulli restaurant. It preformed really well in the blind tasting. The nose is marine, with a salty sensation and very good oak integration, a touch of smoke and hints of lemon peel. It has lots of fruits and concentration, fluid but very well filled. I really like the burgundy-like tasting profile it has. Although it shows palpable oak, I can overlook it because the stony character, the freshness, the volume, the depth and its succulence are beyond doubt extraordinary. (FC) 13.3%

Godello, Albariño, Dona Branca. The nose shows obvious toasty oak accompanied by ripe green fruit, quince and lemon candy, slightly confected. The palate is fresher than what is expected from the nose, with a balancing acidity, volume and creamy texture. I consider the fruit to be very pure, fresh and of a very good quality. With slightly less oak this would be one of the really greatest wines within the region. (FC) 13.4%

Godello. It has a closed nose, it is not really expressive but it truly doesn’t matter for me as the palate is huge with great volume and depth. The oak is very well integrated and the texture is great, oily but concentrated, quite powerful. A wine that gives more pleasure in the palate than on the nose. (FC) 13.8%

Godello, Albariño, Treixadura. When a wine is touching in a blind tasting it means that it really has something singular and extraordinary, and this is the case for this Algueira Cortezada. Very clean and concentrated nose, it is more stony than fruity, with a well integrated toasty sensation and the same touch of popcorn that I normally find in a few top village wines from Burgundy. The flavours are complex and refined. The palate is serious and succulent, with a very great texture. It shows perfect winemaking skills, dense but fresh, mineral sensation and very deep. I think this is a great bottle that makes me recognise that Alguiera well deserves the reputation it has. (FC) 13.4%

Godello, Treixadura. This has a restrained green fruit, fresh herbs and stony character. It is slightly timid. It is crunchy in texture with a consistent fruit and good length. Fresh, pleasant, well made. It is a tempting wine although it displays a note of lees at the back palate causing it to lose finesse. (FC) 13.2%

Godello. The wine shows evolution with a little acetaldehyde (oxidised green apple), it lacks more precision and cleanliness. I would have preferred to taste 2012. (FC) 13.6%

The nose is a little pompous and starts to show evolution. It has smoke, quince and ripe yellow prune aromas. It is more wide than long in the palate, opulent but not dynamic and with oily texture. Slightly higher freshness would increase the balance. (FC) 14.2%

This is a well-known wine from a traditional winery established in 1958. It has prominent aromas, full of stone fruit, pear, fresh cut grass and flowers. It is a fruit-driven wine, not really long but with a very easy to drink and pleasant ripe fruit. It has a very good balance between freshness and fruit texture. It is an uncomplicated pleasant wine. (FC) 13.3%

It has a delicate and pleasant clean nose with saline, fresh herbs, lime and green fruit notes. It has a compact and concentrated texture for a Godello, with mineral sensations and a refreshing although not acidic palate. It makes me think of something close to Chablis in style. After a few minutes in the glass the wine starts to show some lees notes that take away finesse; without the development of these notes it would be a great bottle of wine. (FC) 12.4%

This highly complex wine needs time to breathe. Notably dynamic, it keeps changing and bringing new aromas. Yellow prunes, yeasty notes and creamy sensations dominate the nose. In the mouth it is creamy with concentrated ripe stone fruit flavours but really lively. Rich, but still with excellent balance. (FC) 13.2%

Almost crystalline in the nose, pure, really clean and full of fresh acid green fruit, lemon, stone fruit and saline notes. It has a crunchy texture, extremely refreshing, clean and delicate finish. Almost like a top Muscadet in style, laser-like palate, one of the wines that gives me lot of pleasure, and of course if you are an acidity lover this is a must-taste wine for you. Good drinking now but I would love to see it in two years. GV (FC) 13.4%

Godello. It has an opulent nose with very ripe apple, dry herbs and creamy notes. It has a wide palate, full of fruit with a creamy texture and some evolved flavours. It is fresh but not really dynamic. I reckon it is made from very good quality raw material. It has very consistent quality to be the entry level wine from Algueira. (FC) 12.6%