Val do Bibei Valdeorras Sorte O Soro Rafael Palacios 2023 (750ML)

98 Points, Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous: "The 2023 Godello Sorte O Soro was made from a parcel of old vines in Valdeorras. It opens with precise aromas of white fruit, a touch of barrel aging, a hint of creamed corn and a reductive note, followed by pear, linden blossom and acacia, all framed by subtle oak. Intense, concentrated and yet curiously delicate, this has a distinctive personality. A direct, almost linear profile coexists with a certain volume and flavor intensity, with the oak setting the pace. The magic lies in these contrasts and nuances, which trace a new frontier of flavor for the variety and region." 09/25

98+ Points, Luis Gutierrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2023 Sorte O Soro fermented in new 500-liter French oak barrels with indigenous yeasts and matured in those barrels with the fine lees after being pressed for seven months, yet the wine is anything but oaky. It feels austere and harmonious and combines power and elegance, with notes of dry herbs and flowers, perhaps a little too shy. It doesn't lack ripeness (Godello here routinely reaches 14% alcohol), but it has very good acidity and freshness, denoted by a pH of 3.01 and 7.7 grams of acidity, yet the wine is not acidic either, as ripeness and acidity compensate each other. There is a sense of purity and precision that I love. 1,900 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2024. This vineyard is also in the process of obtaining organic and biodynamic certification." 07/25

99 Points, Virginie Boone, JebDunnuck.com: "A new release that spends at least one year in bottle, 2023 Sorte O Soro is mineral, salty, and feral in nature, with slatey minerality and subtle fruit, a reflection of its terroir, a parcel planted in 1978 at high-altitude and exposed to constant wind. It’s fresh but also concentrated, a ponderous, contemplative wine that requires your full focus, the aromas and flavors constantly evolving and changing in the glass. This is just a stunning, memorable, and incredible wine from Galicia. Drink now and over the next 12-15 years.The youngest brother of Alvaro Palacios, one of the pioneers of modern Priorat, and uncle of Ricardo Perez Palacios of Descendientes de J. Palacios in nearby Bierzo, Rafael Palacios came to Valdeorras in 2004 and started buying neglected vineyards planted to forgotten native Godello in low-yielding soils at the highest elevations. The winemaking here is modern, with a nod to tradition, using horse and mule in the highest vineyards. (Drink between 2026-2041)" 01/26