2021 Algueira Brandan, Ribeira Sacra

This pure and charismatic Godello comes from a terraced vineyard (pictured above), that has been painstakingly restored by Fernando González Riveiro. The vineyard lies on the south-facing slope where the 30- to 80-year-old vines are rooted in the schist soils typical of the Amandi Gorge. The name of the wine pays tribute to the Celtic ancestry of the region—Brandan was a Celtic warlord who initially settled the area.

Fermented with natural yeasts only and aged entirely without oak, it’s a bright and crystalline mountain Godello, with fleshy citrus and white-fleshed fruit across a background of wild herbs and salty savouriness. Closing with a spirited phenolic lick, it’s a wine born of a unique place; precise, low-yield viticulture and traditional, low-input winemaking.