My first exposure to Godello was over a decade ago at Zapirain, one of Bilbao’s finest restaurants, where the sommelier recommended Rafael Palacios’ Godello as a good pairing for fresh seafood from the nearby Atlantic. The wine was delicious and sparked a long love affair with this variety. Recently, Jorge Ordóñez and his US importing firm Fine Estates from Spain sent me the latest releases of Godello from Bodegas Avancia. My reviews follow below.
Jorge Ordóñez is a major reason why Spain ranks among the largest exporters of wine to the US. In addition to his role as importer, his Grupo Jorge Ordóñez includes eight wineries that focus on old vines from lesser-known regions. One of these wineries is Bodegas Avancia in the D.O. Valdeorras, founded in 2007 in partnership with Bodegas Godeval. Bodegas Avancia specializes in wines made from the Godello grape, mostly grown in very old, dry farmed, bush vine vineyards. Jorge Ordóñez was the first to import Godello to the US.
Godello
Once relegated to wine history’s dustbin, Godello has been resuscitated in its Galician homeland and is slowly gaining fame as Spain’s best full-bodied white, often compared to South African Chenin Blanc or white Burgundy. As reported on the Bodegas Avancia website, famed wine writer Robert Parker has said of Godello: “… the Godello grape…may well be Spain’s finest indigenous white grape. It has the texture of a Chardonnay, but with crisp, mineral and floral notes in its aromatics. Avancia is certainly the top producer of this intriguing and delicious dry white.”
Godello was widely planted in Valdeorras and Galicia, but the arrival of phylloxera in the late 19th century decimated the vineyards, and growers replanted with more productive varieties. Godello was resuscitated by Horacio Fernández Presa in the 1970s; he later established Bodegas Godeval. Today, there are approximately 1400 hectares of the variety planted in Valdeorras, and plantings and production continue to grow. Godello is fermented and aged at least partly in oak and given extensive time on the lees, which gives it a creamy texture.
Godello is not produced in large quantities, and it won’t be found on many grocery store shelves, but it’s reasonably priced and worth seeking out by lovers of good wines.
Valdeorras
Valdeorras (valley of gold) was named by the Romans who mined gold there and is in the province of Ourense in Galicia. Most of the Godello vineyards are steeply terraced and overlook the River Sil. The soils are mostly slate and clay from decomposed granite and bits of broken quartz.
The Wines
Avancia 2023 Cuveé de O Valdeorras ($27) 92 Medium yellow gold. Honeycomb, dried lemon, pear yellow apple all put in an appearance on the bouquet. The wine has a creamy texture with good balancing acidity and stone fruit and tropical flavors with mineral notes. Dense with a very long rich finish. Overall, softly textured, creamy and full flavored. Sourced from vineyards at 550-650m planted between 1940 and 1970 on decomposed slate and quartz soils overlooking the Sil River. A portion is whole bunch pressed; 80% fermented in stainless steel and 20% in neutral French oak followed by 8 months aging with battonage. 13% alc.
Avancia 2023 Godello Old Vines Valdeorras ($37) 94 Yellow straw. Fresh aromas of yellow apple with notes of Meyer lemon note and tropical fruit. Soft on the attack with refreshing acidity and a sense of minerality. An elegant wine with excellent precision and focus on finish. Sourced from a single, organically cultivated vineyard, Aeiroá, planted between 1904 and 1910 on the south side of the Río Sil in slate soils with a northeast exposure. Fermented using native yeasts and matured with battonage in 10% new French oak barrels of 500L. 13.5% alc.
Avancia 2022 Nobleza Godello Old Vines Valdeorras ($75) 94 Yellow straw. Reveals a nose of fresh orchard fruit. Soft and creamy on the attack with refreshing acidity and a mineral-like character; notes of lemon curd and stone fruit on a fresh, full palate with a bright, uplifting finish. From a dry farmed, north facing, bush vine vineyard planted in 1939 on steep hillsides above Barco de Valdeorras with black slate soils. Hand-picked, partly whole bunch pressed, fermented and aged 8 months in one-third new, 500L and 600L oak barrels. 13.5% alc.
Source : https://i-winereview.com/blog/index.php/2025/01/12/bodegas-avancia-godello-from-valdeorras/
