Sometimes the Bruja gets asked about different white wines. So we took up the challenge in search for something really different.
This month we headed to D.O. Monterrei, a lesser known Spanish Denominación de Origen in southern Galicia, boarding with Portugal.
It is the warmest and driest region of Galicia and shares a lot of characteristics of the Spanish central plain, but with strong influence from the Atlantic; hence a whooping 700mm of rainfall.
While it is thought the grape vines have been planted in this area since Roman times, the DO status was not acquired until 1994. Our wine comes from Bodegas Triay, a small family vineyard in O Rosal.
Godello is a grape variety that is thought to have originated in Godella (Valencia) in the 19th century, before being transported to Galicia in the 1920s, where it produces fine wines in Valdeorras and Monterrei.
It is also found across the (regional) border in the Bierzo region of Castilla y León. The grape yields fresh, very dry, wines with high acidity, and juicy citrus flavours with minerality. Naturally, it is contrasted and compared to the more familiar grape from Galicia, Albariño.
The longer warmer summers of Valdeorras and Monterrei allow the vines to develop, giving Godello an edge on fruitiness, juiciness and richness in the mouth. Godello has undergone a revival since the 1970s, however it remains rare, with only 1000 hectares of the grape in the whole of Spain (compared to about 25,000 hectares of Verdejo).
Our wine is an award-winning, limited edition of 37,000 bottles. The vines are some 20-years old, planted in granitic-sandy soil, with some clay. Fermentation is carried out in stainless steel tanks at controlled low temperature of 15oC to preserve freshness and fruitiness, then left to lie for three months.
The wine has a clear, light, straw-yellow colour with green hues. On the nose, there are intense aromas of stone fruit, green apple, and citrus fruit. The palette is rich with citrus flavour, ripe grapefruit, and quince, lemon zest, and delicious slaty minerality.
Serve at 8oC with sushi, seafood or fish. €10 online from BodegasTriay.es
88-90 Bruja points.