2022 Rafael Palacios As Sortes
| Type of Wine | |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Region | |
| Appellation | |
| Winery | |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Grape | |
| Content (Alc) | 0.75 ltr (14%) |
| Drink window | 2024 - 2031 |
Rafael Palacios, brother of famous winemaker Alvaro Palacios from Priorat, started making wine in Valdeorras in 2004. He bought old vineyards with Godello grapes from local farmers. All 22.5 hectares of the company are planted with this grape, spread over 26 vineyards. The age of the vines ranges from 7 to 91 years old. All the plots are farmed organically. He grows his best parcels: Sorte O Soro, Sorte Antiga and Os Canieros entirely in biodynamics. The name of the wine As Sortes is Galician for 'heirloom lots'. After all, the Galician inheritance law system is structured in such a way that each child receives an equal share of a piece of land, in this way the vineyards are of course incredibly fragmented and everyone receives a 'sorte' or inheritance lot. It often happens that a vineyard of 1 hectare is divided into 10 different lots or 'sortes'. The plural As Sortes is therefore many heirs together in one wine.
Rafa has his vineyards in Santa Cruz do Bolo, where the soil is different from the rest in Valdeorras. The soil here is completely granite, with an upper texture of coarse sand grains from the eroded granite. The granite here is composed of feldspar, mica and quartz. Quartz in particular, a mineral of crystallized silicon, gives a mineral and salty character to the wines. The pluviometry is high, which means that the soils have a very low pH and therefore a very high acidity. All the 'sortes' have the same bases, with only the texture and size of the grains varying. The altitude varies from 650 to 720 m.
What Rafa attaches great importance to is the selective harvest of each plot, precisely so as not to lose the unique character of the different plots. The grapes are placed on the selection table at harvest. Cold maceration and maximum protection against oxidation are other techniques he uses to ensure quality is not lost. The use of foeders is very important. Rafa selects the oak from northern French forests: the colder the forest, the less aromatic the wood, more neutral and with better oxygenation for the élevage sur lies. The wood is lightly toasted, for many hours with a very low heat so that the pores of the barrique open, but so that it is not marked by smoke or torrefaction aromas. He does less bâtonnage than he used to, as he notices that the wines lose character and personality by making too much use of the yeast cells. The As Sortes is fermented in large wooden vats of 500 liters for a good month, after which the wine is aged in the same vats for 6 months.
The As Sortes is fresh, clean and complex and it is very different from other white wines from the Valdeorras. In the nose we smell notes of yellow fruit, citrus and herbs accentuated by creamy notes and just a hint of smoke. The taste is medium-bodied with very good acidity, full and spicy but fresh and smooth at the same time. The aftertaste is somewhat salty and mineral and remains long in the mouth. A maximum of 15,000 bottles of the As Sortes are produced and is highly recommended for those who are a bit tired of Chardonnay. The wine has a nice drinking window until at least 2030+.
| Type of Wine | White |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Galicia |
| Appellation | Valdeorras (Appellation) |
| Winery | Rafael Palacios |
| Grape | Godello |
| Biological certified | No |
| Natural wine | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Drinking as of | 2024 |
| Drinking till | 2031 |
| Alcohol % | 14 |
| Alcohol free/low | No |
| Content | 0.75 ltr |
| Oak aging | Yes |
| Sparkling | No |
| Dessert wine | No |
| Closure | Cork |
| Parker rating | 95 |
| Tasting Profiles | Dry, Fresh, Fruity, Mineral, Tense, White fruit |
| Drink moments | Borrelen, Cadeau!, Met vrienden, Summer party, Terras, Voor alledag |
Rafa Palacios is the white winemaker of Spain. In barely 1 decade he has put himself on the map as the specialist of top white wines. His influence was enormous. At the moment, Godello is one of Spain's most popular white grape varieties and all the well-known oenologists in Valdeorras have their own project.
Rafael Palacios is the youngest brother of Alvaro Palacios, who became best known for his project in the Priorat. The Palacios family has had the famous Palacios-Remondo bodega in the town of Alfaro (Rioja Baja) for many years, where Alvaro left for Priorat in the late 80s. Rafa is the youngest of nine siblings and worked as an oenologist on the family estate in Rioja. He mainly focused on perfecting the white wine Plácet and thus got a taste for making top white wines in Spain.
After an internship in Valdeorras in Galicia, he was convinced that it would be here that he would make his great white wine with Godello, the typical white grape of this region. He left everything behind at the end of 2003 and in a few months he searched for and bought the oldest vineyards Godello in the highest valley of Valdeorras, Valle del Bibei. He mainly looked for the highest elevation, most difficult to access and least profitable vineyards that the villagers were no longer interested in because they involved too much work and too few yields. He managed to buy 12 hectares in a short time, rented a large garage and cellar nearby for vinification, and in 2004 he made his first As Sortes. His second wine, the Louro, followed a year later.
This wine immediately hit like a bomb and in a short time his wines gained a true cult status at home and abroad. In the meantime, he also uses small amounts of Treixadura and is already thinking about doing even better. The construction of the bodega is completely subordinate to the acquisition of the best vineyards and the making of the best white wine, but in 2011 the building plans have matured sufficiently and he has built a small and practical hall with a view of the vineyard of Sorte Antiga.
Rafael himself calls the Godello the 'lung' of his wines; It is a glyceric variety, with very few aromas. Nevertheless, at high altitudes, this grape is capable of true top performance and acquires a freshness that is unprecedented. Godello naturally has high tartaric acids, which guarantees a good evolution over time. Treixadura is similar to Godello but has more aromatic capacities.
Description
Rafael Palacios, brother of famous winemaker Alvaro Palacios from Priorat, started making wine in Valdeorras in 2004. He bought old vineyards with Godello grapes from local farmers. All 22.5 hectares of the company are planted with this grape, spread over 26 vineyards. The age of the vines ranges from 7 to 91 years old. All the plots are farmed organically. He grows his best parcels: Sorte O Soro, Sorte Antiga and Os Canieros entirely in biodynamics. The name of the wine As Sortes is Galician for 'heirloom lots'. After all, the Galician inheritance law system is structured in such a way that each child receives an equal share of a piece of land, in this way the vineyards are of course incredibly fragmented and everyone receives a 'sorte' or inheritance lot. It often happens that a vineyard of 1 hectare is divided into 10 different lots or 'sortes'. The plural As Sortes is therefore many heirs together in one wine.
Rafa has his vineyards in Santa Cruz do Bolo, where the soil is different from the rest in Valdeorras. The soil here is completely granite, with an upper texture of coarse sand grains from the eroded granite. The granite here is composed of feldspar, mica and quartz. Quartz in particular, a mineral of crystallized silicon, gives a mineral and salty character to the wines. The pluviometry is high, which means that the soils have a very low pH and therefore a very high acidity. All the 'sortes' have the same bases, with only the texture and size of the grains varying. The altitude varies from 650 to 720 m.
What Rafa attaches great importance to is the selective harvest of each plot, precisely so as not to lose the unique character of the different plots. The grapes are placed on the selection table at harvest. Cold maceration and maximum protection against oxidation are other techniques he uses to ensure quality is not lost. The use of foeders is very important. Rafa selects the oak from northern French forests: the colder the forest, the less aromatic the wood, more neutral and with better oxygenation for the élevage sur lies. The wood is lightly toasted, for many hours with a very low heat so that the pores of the barrique open, but so that it is not marked by smoke or torrefaction aromas. He does less bâtonnage than he used to, as he notices that the wines lose character and personality by making too much use of the yeast cells. The As Sortes is fermented in large wooden vats of 500 liters for a good month, after which the wine is aged in the same vats for 6 months.
The As Sortes is fresh, clean and complex and it is very different from other white wines from the Valdeorras. In the nose we smell notes of yellow fruit, citrus and herbs accentuated by creamy notes and just a hint of smoke. The taste is medium-bodied with very good acidity, full and spicy but fresh and smooth at the same time. The aftertaste is somewhat salty and mineral and remains long in the mouth. A maximum of 15,000 bottles of the As Sortes are produced and is highly recommended for those who are a bit tired of Chardonnay. The wine has a nice drinking window until at least 2030+.
Specifications
| Type of Wine | White |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Galicia |
| Appellation | Valdeorras (Appellation) |
| Winery | Rafael Palacios |
| Grape | Godello |
| Biological certified | No |
| Natural wine | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Drinking as of | 2024 |
| Drinking till | 2031 |
| Alcohol % | 14 |
| Alcohol free/low | No |
| Content | 0.75 ltr |
| Oak aging | Yes |
| Sparkling | No |
| Dessert wine | No |
| Closure | Cork |
| Parker rating | 95 |
| Tasting Profiles | Dry, Fresh, Fruity, Mineral, Tense, White fruit |
| Drink moments | Borrelen, Cadeau!, Met vrienden, Summer party, Terras, Voor alledag |
Wijnhuis
Rafa Palacios is the white winemaker of Spain. In barely 1 decade he has put himself on the map as the specialist of top white wines. His influence was enormous. At the moment, Godello is one of Spain's most popular white grape varieties and all the well-known oenologists in Valdeorras have their own project.
Rafael Palacios is the youngest brother of Alvaro Palacios, who became best known for his project in the Priorat. The Palacios family has had the famous Palacios-Remondo bodega in the town of Alfaro (Rioja Baja) for many years, where Alvaro left for Priorat in the late 80s. Rafa is the youngest of nine siblings and worked as an oenologist on the family estate in Rioja. He mainly focused on perfecting the white wine Plácet and thus got a taste for making top white wines in Spain.
After an internship in Valdeorras in Galicia, he was convinced that it would be here that he would make his great white wine with Godello, the typical white grape of this region. He left everything behind at the end of 2003 and in a few months he searched for and bought the oldest vineyards Godello in the highest valley of Valdeorras, Valle del Bibei. He mainly looked for the highest elevation, most difficult to access and least profitable vineyards that the villagers were no longer interested in because they involved too much work and too few yields. He managed to buy 12 hectares in a short time, rented a large garage and cellar nearby for vinification, and in 2004 he made his first As Sortes. His second wine, the Louro, followed a year later.
This wine immediately hit like a bomb and in a short time his wines gained a true cult status at home and abroad. In the meantime, he also uses small amounts of Treixadura and is already thinking about doing even better. The construction of the bodega is completely subordinate to the acquisition of the best vineyards and the making of the best white wine, but in 2011 the building plans have matured sufficiently and he has built a small and practical hall with a view of the vineyard of Sorte Antiga.
Rafael himself calls the Godello the 'lung' of his wines; It is a glyceric variety, with very few aromas. Nevertheless, at high altitudes, this grape is capable of true top performance and acquires a freshness that is unprecedented. Godello naturally has high tartaric acids, which guarantees a good evolution over time. Treixadura is similar to Godello but has more aromatic capacities.