Raúl Pérez Ultreia Godello 2024

A fresh and fruit-driven Godello with aromas of juicy apricots and peaches, a mouthwatering acidity and a marked minerality on the palate.

2024 is described by Luis Gutiérrez of Wine Advocate as “one of the finest vintages in Bierzo ever”. It was a cooler and fresher vintage than 2023, which has produced wines defined by great precision and elegance. An exceptionally rainy winter replenished soil water reserves and sustained the vines through the dry summer and the heatwave which came at the end of August. Rain at key moments during the growing season, including fruit set and harvest, posed some challenges and resulted in a smaller than average Godello harvest.

The individual vineyard plots are vinified separately to allow Raúl maximum blending options. Upon arrival at the winery, the Godello is pressed and left to settle overnight before being racked off the sediment. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts takes place in used oak vats of varying sizes (foudres, demi-muids and barrels). Unusually for Raúl, the 2024 vintage went through malolactic fermentation. Aged on the lees for 12 months in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and used French oak barriques, minimal manipulation takes place during the ageing process with no bâtonnage.

Raúl sources the Godello for this wine from younger vines in a range of sustainably-farmed plots located around the villages of Cacabelos and Valtuille de Abajo. Soils are composed predominantly of sandy clay and are well draining, encouraging the vines to lay down deep roots. Some plots are bush vines, others are cordon trained. The signature finesse of the wine is the result of meticulously chosen picking dates, with harvest of the many plots that make up the blend typically taking over a month to complete.