Alvaredos-Hobbs Godello 2021 White

Alvaredos-Hobbs is one of the Galician producers most severely affected by the fires this summer. The winery is a joint venture between Antonio López and the renowned American winemaker and consultant Paul Hobbs. It is located in Os Albaredos, a small parish in Quiroga, on the eastern edge of DO Ribeira Sacra, bordering Valdeorras.

Although López emigrated to the US with his family, he always cherished the memory of the vineyards and the wine that was produced and sold locally. In the late 1990s, he started to repurchase plots of land that had belonged to his family, refurbishing some of the houses in the village to use as a winery. In the mid-2010s, he met Hobbs, invited him to visit the area and formalised their partnership.

The winery has around six hectares of vineyards, scattered across a rugged, terraced landscape overlooking the River Sil. The plots lie on both hillsides flanking the small rural settlement of Albaredos. With gradients ranging from 15% to 55%, most work is carried out by hand in what is often described as heroic viticulture. The soils are a mixture of slate and granite with traces of clay and quartz.

White varieties dominate, particularly Godello, with Albariño and Loureiro also present. The main red grape is Mencía, but Garnacha Tintorera and Sousón are also grown.

The wine range includes two white wines and one red. Nicknamed the 'house white', Uz de Hobbs Godello is aged on its lees in stainless steel tanks (€18). The barrel-aged Godello reviewed this week, as well as an ambitious blend of Mencía and 10% Garnacha Tintorera, are sold under the winery's name. Day-to-day management and winemaking are carried out by oenologist and consultant Cecilia Fernández, who has extensive experience in Galicia and in white wine production, having worked alongside Rafael Palacios for eight years.

The Alvaredo-Hobbs Godello blend includes 6% Loureiro, which adds a touch of acidity to a style that, while not heavy, reaches 14% ABV and shows structure and creaminess on the palate. Fermented with indigenous yeasts, the wine was aged in foudres and French oak barrels for 10 months. Released after further bottle ageing, it has developed a rounded, polished texture and appealing complexity. It delivers a solid, classic interpretation of Godello, with white fruit and fine toasted aromas against a backdrop of dried flowers and ripe citrus fruit. The oak is well integrated, revealing good balance and definition. This Godello is the perfect choice to welcome autumn -we are all eager to leave the scorching summer behind. It pairs well with mushrooms, poultry and risottos.

The presentation is excellent, with a simple label inspired by the Romanesque churches of Ribeira Sacra, the gold once sought by the Romans in its rivers and the slate in its soil. Furthermore, Hobbs' involvement should help raise the region's profile in international markets.

Hobbs has, in fact, made his mark as a winemaker in a number of countries. He is a founding partner of Viña Cobos in Argentina and also consulted for Catena. He is widely regarded as a driving force behind the success of Malbec. He has also advised in Chile and Uruguay, and worked for renowned wineries such as Robert Mondavi and Opus One in his home country, before establishing his own ventures. These include Paul Hobbs Winery and Crossbarn in Sebastopol, California; Hillrock and Hobbs in the Finger Lakes region of New York; Crocus in Cahors, France; Yacoubian-Hobbs in Armenia; and Alvaredos-Hobbs in Galicia, Spain.

€35 
14% abv.
Score: 93