Telmo Rodriguez, Spain


Branco se STA Cruz Valdeorras, 2014

13.5%

750 ml.

Grape Varieties: Godello, Treixadura, Doña Branca and Palomino

The 2014 Branco de Santa Cruz is a village wine from the Bibei slopes within Valdeorras and mixes different white varieties like Godello, Treixadura, Doña Blanca and Palomino from a diversity of plots planted with head-pruned vines at 600 meters altitude in the surroundings of the village of Santa Cruz. The soils are granite-based, and the slopes mean there is low water retention that makes them deliver low yields. It fermented in 600-liter barriques and foudres with indigenous yeasts where the wine was kept for ten to 12 months before bottling. It's clean, balanced and subtly balsamic, with aromas of bay leaf, some flowers and spices. It's not exuberant or exotic; it's serious and elegant. The palate revealed very good balance and freshness. A subtle white Valdeorras, with more in common with other whites from Ribeira Sacra. 4,450 bottles were filled in May 2016.
Robert Parker: 93 points