ABOUT: Since the 90’s Raul Perez has been making outstanding wines hailing from his home town of Bierzo, Spain. Red grape Mencia is the go-to variety for the majority of his (many) winemaking projects, but we’re all hot under the collar for the white wine he makes from Godello. Ultreia La Claudina is made from 100% Godello and is allowed to mingle with its skins and stems in open top fermenters, like a red wine. Then in the spring, like Sherry, the wine spontaneously develops a tasty yeast (flor) that covers the surface of the wine and is allowed to chill out like that, contributing some complex aromas and flavors. Organic and biodynamic practices are the norm for his wines, whether he grows the grapes or is buying ‘em. You can buy his wines with confidence knowing that good husbandry practices are behind every label.

TASTE: This is what Antonio Galloni at Vinous had to say about the La Claudina 2019 - " Pale yellow-gold. Fresh orchard and pit fruits, lemon pith, marzipan, tarragon and pungent flowers on the intensely perfumed, mineral-accented nose. Concentrated peach, pear, orange, honey and succulent herb flavors pick up a spicy quality with air. The mineral and floral notes drive an impressively long, gently chewy, finely detailed finish that leaves pear skin and green almond notes behind."

This is what Decanter magazine had to say – “I'm not sure who Claudina may have been, but her eponymous vineyard is now clothed in fifty-year-old Godello. Sometimes Raul Perez coaxes a layer of flor yeast onto the surface of the evolving wine; not so in the warm 2019, when the low pH levels made such prestidigitation tricky. No matter: the wine does not want for freshness; on the contrary, it is wonderfully cleansing; hints of briny salinity, iodine and sousbois adding precision and depth. Green apples, acacia, sourdough and verbena complete the portrait. Quite a portrait.”

PAIR: Roasted garlic lemon broccoli, Brussels sprouts with balsamic glaze and cashews, chive cream cheese on a bagel, tofu bahn mi sandwich, roasted asparagus with parmesan, and almond crusted green beans.

Godello

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Raul Perez Ultreia La Claudina Godello 2019

Raul Perez Castro Candaz La Vertical Godello 2018

Bodegas Rafael Palacios Bolo Godello 2015

Analemma Mosier Hills Estate Blanco 2018