2024 Rafael Palacios As Sortes

Rafael Palacios, brother of renowned winemaker Alvaro Palacios from Priorat, began making wine in Valdeorras in 2004. He purchased old vineyards of Godello grapes from local farmers. All 22.5 hectares of the company are planted with this grape, spread across 26 vineyards. The vines range in age from 7 to 91 years. All plots are farmed organically. His best plots: Sorte O Soro, Sorte Antiga, and Os Canieros, are fully biodynamically cultivated. The name of the wine, As Sortes, is Galician for "lots of inheritance." The Galician inheritance system is such that each child receives an equal share of a plot of land. This naturally fragments the vineyards, and everyone receives a "sorte," or lot. It often happens that a 1-hectare vineyard is divided into 10 different lots or "sortes." The plural As Sortes therefore means many lots together in one wine.

Rafa's vineyards are located in Santa Cruz do Bolo, where the soil is different from the rest of Valdeorras. The soil here is entirely granitic, with a topsoil of coarse sand grains originating from the eroded granite. The granite here is composed of feldspar, mica, and quartz. Quartz, a mineral of crystallized silica, in particular gives the wines a mineral and saline character. The high rainfall gives the soils a very low pH and therefore very high acidity. All the "sortes" have the same soils, with only the texture and size of the grains varying. The altitude ranges from 650 to 720 meters.

Rafa attaches great importance to the selective harvest of each plot, precisely to preserve the unique character of each. The grapes are placed on the selection table at harvest time. Cold maceration and maximum protection against oxidation are other techniques he uses to ensure quality is preserved. The use of casks is crucial. Rafa selects oak from northern French forests: the colder the forest, the less aromatic the wood, becoming more neutral and providing better oxygenation for lees aging. The oak is lightly toasted for many hours at a very low heat to open the pores of the barrique, but without being marked by smoke or torrefaction aromas. He uses bâtonnage less often than before, as he finds that overusing the yeast cells causes the wines to lose character and personality. The As Sortes is fermented in large 500-liter wooden casks for a good month, after which the wine is aged in the same casks for six months.

The As Sortes is fresh, clean, and complex, and quite unlike other white wines from Valdeorras. On the nose, we encounter notes of yellow fruit, citrus, and herbs, accented by creamy notes and just a hint of smoke. The palate is medium-bodied with excellent acidity, full-bodied and spicy, yet simultaneously fresh and smooth. The finish is slightly salty and minerally, lingering on the palate. A limited production run of (only) 15,000 bottles of As Sortes is highly recommended for those a little tired of Chardonnay. The wine has a good drinking window until at least 2030+.