Valdeorras: our selection of white wines

Building on last week's feature on Valdeorras, we now present a selection of wines that caught our attention. Reds will follow in a second article.

All samples were tasted at the Valdeorras Regulatory Board and at the wineries we visited in the region last month.

We begin with various interpretations of Godello, from its youngest, most immediate expression to more complex examples aged on their lees and in oak. The finest versions are found among the premium ranges, where careful vineyard selection and a clear sense of place shine thrugh. In some cases, we also witnessed how well the wines evolve in  bottle.

Approaching Godello

Ponte da Boga O Godello Selección Valdeorras 2024 White. The arrival in Valdeorras of Ponte da Boga, a winery in the Estrella Galicia brewing group,  illustrates the growing appeal of Godello. In partnership with Bodegas Ruchel, they produce between 100,000 and 150,000 bottles annually,  aiming for a fresh, uncomplicated style that contrasts with the richer Godellos produced by Ponte da Boga in Ribeira Sacra. With clean white fruit and hay aromas over an herbaceous background, this vibrant, balanced white has a pleasant bitter finish. It is a good introduction to Godello’s most accesible side. Mainly distributed in Spain.

Score: 90. 13% abv. €13.5 

Joaquín Rebolledo Godello 2024 White. Founded in 1978, Joaquín Rebolledo produces good value white and red wines that are widely available. Its flagship Godello, aged for a few months on its lees, has clean, fragrant aromas and an intriguing blend of sweetness and acidity. The 2021 we tasted has aged gracefully and still showed  generous ripe fruit, fresh citrus notes, and a juicy mid-palate. Grapes come from the estate’s own vineyards and trusted growers in Fontei, Freixido, Trasdairelas, Pedrazais, A Veiquiña, O Redondo and San Roque. The label reads "sundrenched slopes". Production ranges between 200,000 and 250,000 bottles.

Score: 90. 13% abv. €12.5 

Ruchel Cova Baladal 2023 White. Made from fully ripe grapes grown on granite soils in Seadur, this wine spends time on its lees and undergoes bottle ageing before release. With notes of white fruit and petrol, the wine shows good ripeness levels and some sweetness, offset by fruit concentration and a savoury finish. The label depicts a cross-section of the soil in the family cave in Vilamartín, where Inma López's father and grandfather once made wine. She currently runs the winery with her brother. Just over 2,000 bottles were produced.

Score: 90. 14% abv. €14.5

Godeval Godello 2024 White. One of Valdeorras’s pioneering Godello producers, Godeval remains a benchmark for the variety. This well-balanced wine displays beautifully ripe white and stone fruits, the typical volume of Godello,  and a subtle mineral warmth relfecting its slate soils,  all lifted by vibrant acidity and juiciness.

Score: 91. 13.5% abv. €16

Complexity from lees

A Coroa Lías Godello 2024 White. This is the only wine in the DO that is certified as coming from a “controlled production vineyard”, yielding under 8,000 kg/ha for Godello. Grapes are sourced from A Sobreira, a hillside vineyard at 450 metres elevation overlooking the River Sil in A Rúa. The soils are sandy loam with some pebbles. No oak is used, but five months of battonage impart subtle hints of toastiness and gentle reduction. The wine stands out on the palate for its freshness, tension and citrus character. While it still feels young, it has fine ageing potential.

Score: 92. 13,5% abv. €22

Guitián Godello Sobre Lías 2024 White, Bodegas A Tapada. At the tasting, Guitián wines showed the most restraint. The A Tapada estate, located in Rubiá, lies at a high elevation with significant risk of frost. The soils are a mixture of slate and clay-loam. Unlike their young Godello, which remains on its fine lees in stainless steel tanks for a few months, this version undergoes weekly lees stirring. A touch of reduction (sunflower seed), leads to a tense, solid palate showing good potential.

Score: 92. 13.5% abv. €20

A Coroa 200 Cestos Godello 2023 White. A Coroa's premium white wine comes from the Valdeaugas vineyard in Lentelláis, (O Bolo, Bibei Valley), where 80-year-old vines grow alongside new plantings on stone terraces. The elevation,  up to 600 metres, allows for good acidity, providing a vibrant counterpoint to the mineral notes. It is a complex wine with a wealth of nuances and good ageing potential.

Score: 93. 13.5% abv. €30 

Godeval Revival Godello 2022 White. The name pays tribute to the Valdeorras Vineyard Restructuring Plan (Revival), which was promoted by Horacio Fernández Presa, one of the founders of Godeval, when he was in charge of the Agricultural Extension Agency in O Barco. The idea behind this wine was to create a Godello with a stronger aromatic profile through cryomaceration. To this end, the winery developed an R&D project in collaboration with EVEGA (Galician Viticulture and Oenology Station). The grapes are sourced from Pancho, one of the winery's oldest vineyards, and the wine is aged on its lees in stainless steel tanks. The wine still feels youthful, with aromas of pear,  quince and dried herbs, underpinned by vibrant acidity. The 2021 vintage we tasted at the winery was citrusy and floral with subtle notes of wet stones and excellent acidity and length.

Score: 93. 13% abv. €46 

Valdesil Asadoira 2023 White. From a four-hectare vineyard on one of the historic slopes of the Sil Valley, Asadoira has schist soils and enjoys a prime south-eastern exposure, which guarantees morning sunlight while avoiding any excess heat in the late afternoon. This wine is one of the few in the area to be aged exclusively in concrete tanks. It stands out for its refined texture and understated elegance, revealing notes of white and stone fruits, a touch of almond and lovely sapidity.
Score: 94. 14% vol. €65

The oak league

Finca Trasdairelas Godello 2023 White. This is one of two single-vineyard, barrel-aged Godellos produced by Joaquín Rebolledo. While Xocas is more ambitious, opulent and strongly influenced by oak, Trasdairelas comes from a south-facing vineyard on slate soils. Eight months on lees and a further two months in 500-litre barrels, with weekly battonage, lend it creaminess without overpowering the white fruit and aromatic herb notes. On the palate, it is unctuous, with a creamy texture and good length. It offers good value for money.

Score: 92. 13,5% abv. €18 

Louro do Bolo Godello 2024 White. This widely available white is the gateway to the wines of Rafael Palacios, Valdeorras's most internationally renowned winemaker. It encapsulates two fundamental principles of his philosophy. Firstly, his commitment to the high-elevation district of O Bolo in the Bibei valley (all the grapes for this wine come from vineyards at over 600 metres elevation). The second is his decision to age Godello in oak — in this case, the wine spent four months in French foudres. The nose reveals fine toasted notes and hints of dried herbs and white fruit. With a fresh, herbal character, the wine showcases pure, ripe fruit and stands out for its texture.

Score: 93. 14% abv. €21

Avancia Godello Old Vines 2024 White. Of the three white wines produced by Jorge Ordóñez in Valdeorras, this probably best reflects his commitment to traditional dry-farmed vineyards. Sourced from four plots planted in Petín in the early 1990s on slate soils with some quartz, it is fermented and aged in 500- and 600-litre French oak barrels. Full-bodied yet savoury, it displays notes of white fruit, citrus zest and a final hint of toastiness. An elegant sweet-sour balanc adds sapidity, and the oak is well-integrated. 21,600 bottles were produced in this vintage. Currently, it feels more approachable than the top cuvée, Avancia Nobleza (3,600 bottles in the 2024 vintage, €55), which is made from older vineyards but needs additional bottle ageing.  

Score: 93. 13% abv. €31

O Cabalín A Espedrada Vino de Montaña 2023 White. Although this small winery focuses primarily on reds, this white wine, made from Godello vines interspersed with other varieties, deserves some attention. The grapes are sourced from north-facing, high-elevation vineyards in Carballeda. The slate soils at the eastern end of the appellation lend the wine a deep, mineral profile. Chalky and creamy notes lead to a tight, austere palate with a dry stone finish reminiscent of some of the whites produced by José Luis Mateo at Quinta da Muradela in Monterrei.

Score: 94. 13% abv. €32 

O Luar do Sil Vides de Córgomo Godello 2022 Blanco. It is always interesting to see specific terroirs featured on labels. This wine is made from a selection of small plots in Córgomo, a parish of Vilamartín de Valdeorras in the Sil Valley with slate-rich soils. The 2022 vintage yielded just 4,000 kg/ha. Opulent yet elegant, it combines toasted notes, concentrated sweet fruit and warm slate nuances that add character without heaviness. Ageing in a mix of stainless-steel tanks, egg-shaped concrete vats, foudres and 500-litre acacia barrels contributes to achieving balance.

Puntuación: 94. 13,5% vol. 43 €.

As Sortes 2023 White. The philosophy behind this wine has remained unchanged since its creation. It is made from a handful of small vineyards inherited through sortes (drawing lots). These vineyards were planted in the 1970s and 1980s using Godello plant material from the Revival Plan. In keeping with his Burgundy approach, Rafael Palacios identifies on the front label the origin –Santa Cruz do Bolo, Val do Bibei– rather than the grape variety. Still developing, it shows subtle toasted notes (sunflower seeds), citrus peel and white fruit (water pear) on the nose. The palate is structured and almost powerful, reflecting the warm 2023 vintage, yet it features lively acidity that brings purity and precision. The finish is saline and mineral (dry stones), lending it a timeless high-class character.

Score: 95. 14% abv. €56 

Different stages of bottle ageing

Valdesil Pezas da Portela 2022 White. Thiswine is made from a blend of small plots (pezas, in Galician) planted with a massal selection from the historic Pedrouzos vineyard owned by the Prada family in the village of Portela (Vilamartín de Valdeorras). Fermented and aged for six months in a French oak barrel, this 2022 vintage shows the remarkable complexity it has gained in bottle (the current release is 2024 at €36). With unusually moderate alcohol (12.5%), this is a truly elegant wine with flinty notes, a light-to-medium body and a savoury, saline and fresh finish. A real delight.

Score: 94. 12.5% abv.

Guitián +50 Meses Botella Godello 2019 White. A superb demonstration of Godello's capacity to age gracefully, even in young wines –provided, of course, that yields are moderate and the soils are suitable. In the case of Guitián, the vineyard's elevation also helps. After ageing in bottle for over 50 months, the wine has a golden hue, ripe fruit aromas of lychee and peach, and creamy notes. Despite no oak use, the wine’s sweet fruit is accompanied by toasted notes, and a bitter edge on the finish adds seriousness. It seems younger than 2019.

Score: 93. 13.5% abv. €30 

Virgen del Galir Regueirón 2018 White. Another excellent example of bottle ageing at Cvne's winery in Valdeorras. Regueirón is a single-vineyard Godello from the eponymous plot in Éntoma, a parish of O Barco. Compared to the 2023 vintage, which is currently available for €35, this 2018 vintage, which was aged in 500-litre barrels, displays fine reductive notes of petrol and sunflower seed, while retaining a crisp acidity on the palate. It is still in great shape and has a long life ahead of it.

Score: 93. 13.5% vol.