2024 Veronica Ortega La Llorona

La Llorona by Veronica Ortega is a white Bierzo that demonstrates just how refined and precise Godello can be. This wine is made from 100% Godello de Grano Pequeño, a small-berry selection that often provides extra concentration, tension, and detail. The wine comes from Pieros, a village in Bierzo where altitude, cool nights, and poor soils combine to produce wines with a strikingly pure and mineral character. La Llorona is not a broad or heavy white wine, but rather a wine of finesse, energy, and length.

Origin and region

Veronica Ortega is one of Bierzo's most interesting winemakers. She previously worked in Burgundy, the Rhône, and Priorat, among others, and subsequently built her own estate in Bierzo. Her work emphasizes old vineyards, local grape varieties, and an approach where the origin of the wine is always central.

La Llorona comes from Bierzo, one of the most exciting wine regions in Northwest Spain. This region is located in Castilla y León but clearly shows Atlantic influences. As a result, the wines from Bierzo combine ripe fruit with freshness and tension. This freshness is particularly well preserved on higher-altitude plots.

The vineyard for La Llorona is located in Pieros, at an altitude of approximately 500 meters above the valley. It concerns a plot with vines about 35 to 38 years old. The provided information mentions both an arcillo-calcáreo soil (clay-limestone) and a sandy soil. What is clear in any case is that precisely this soil and the high-altitude location are responsible for the crystalline minerality for which this wine is known.

Grapes

This wine is made from 100% Godello de Grano Pequeño. Godello is one of the great white grapes of Spain and is known for its combination of structure, freshness, and gastronomic versatility. Unlike many highly aromatic white grapes, Godello is less about exuberant aroma and more about texture, tension, and detail.

At La Llorona, the small-berry selection ensures extra precision and concentration. You taste this in the wine's compact structure, the lively acidity, and the long, stony finish. It is a style that is refined rather than exuberant.

Vinification

After harvesting, the grapes are first destemmed, followed by a short overnight skin maceration. This light skin maceration gives the wine extra structure and aromatic depth, without making the character heavy. This is followed by gentle clarification of the juice and spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts.

The aging takes place in wooden barrels of various sizes, including 1,000, 600, 500, and 228 liters. The wine ages in these for approximately 10 to 11 months. This use of different barrel sizes is important for the style. The larger barrels preserve freshness and tension, while the smaller barrels add some extra texture and complexity. Here, the wood is supportive rather than dominant.

Taste profile and style

La Llorona is a vibrant, precise, and complex Godello. The aroma reveals subtle notes of roasted seeds, chamomile blossom, peach skin, fennel, and citrus. Everything remains fine and restrained, without excess. Beneath this lies a clear mineral line that gives the wine focus.

On the palate, the wine is juicy, fresh, and very precise. You taste crisp white fruit, citrus, and a light spiciness, with a beautiful tension between ripeness and freshness. The acidity is clear but not harsh, making the wine feel both lively and balanced. The texture is refined, and the finish is long, mineral, and clean. This is a wine with great finesse, but also with enough depth to remain seriously captivating at the table.

Food and wine pairings

La Llorona pairs excellently with refined fish dishes, such as turbot, sea bass, or plaice in a light sauce. This wine also works very well with scallops, langoustines, oysters, and other shellfish due to its fresh and mineral character.

Additionally, it pairs beautifully with dishes featuring fennel, lemon, olive oil, or fresh herbs. Think of grilled vegetables, chicken with lemon and thyme, creamy rice dishes with seafood, or an elegant vegetarian dish with white asparagus. Thanks to its structure, this Godello also handles dishes that have just a bit more texture or creaminess than a very light white wine can normally manage.