“Energetic” sums up this wine.  The nose offers apricot, chamomile, tangerine and blood orange as well as slate and lees notes.  The palate is round and rich with good weight; acidity is moderate to more and quite fresh.  There’s a certain softness despite the acid, perhaps the result of oak contact.  Floral and citrus flavors reflect the aromas.  Medium plus in body and length.

 

Godello, a white grape, is native to northwest Spain and northern Portugal.  It is particularly successful in Galicia’s Valdeorras, whose name, “Valley of Gold,” come from extensive Roman gold mines in the region.  Both Godello and the local red grape Mencía are planted on steeply terraced vineyards of slate with small amounts of quartz.  The climate here is continental, with cold winters and hot summers, though it is somewhat moderated by the Sil River. 

 

Bodegas Avancia is the project of Jorge Ordóñez, a wine broker and producer.  He was the first to introduce Godello to the United States, and for many years was the only merchant to offer it.  Bodegas Avancia, founded in 2007 in partnership with Bodegas Godeval, is the top producer of this variety.  The grapes come from two dry-farmed vineyards (23 acres total) with southeast orientation on the north bank of the Sil.  Barreiros was planted in 1940, Ferreiruscas in 1970, the youngest plantings of Godello on the estate.  Vines in both are gobelet (bush) trained and farmed organically, and all vineyard work is, by necessity, manual.  The grapes are hand-harvested into small baskets and carried to the winery, where they ferment with indigenous yeast.  Twenty percent are fermented in used French oak puncheons (500 liters) and demi-muids (600 liters); the rest is fermented in steel.  Each lot rests on the lees in its fermentation vessel for eight months with frequent stirring.  This results in a wine with the texture of Chardonnay and the mineral and floral notes typical of Godello.