Paul Hobbs seems to always be on the search for new grapes to ferment. Not long after launching his Finger Lakes Rieslings at Hillick & Hobbs, he now gives us a delectable white wine from the magical hills of Galicia in northeast Spain. Any wine writer who has passed through the region has immediately fallen in love with Godello, and the Alvaredos-Hobbs iteration reminds us those first impressions were not merely love at first site. This is a gorgeous, complex combo of rich but lean green flavors of lime and unripe gooseberries (the best way to eat them) blended with golden floral and nutty flavors of the grape itself as well as the time spent aging in barrels and foudres. This is a full wine with the textures – but not tastes – of Napa Valley Chardonnays, and it will make a delicious companion to pork and poultry dishes.
Alvaredos-Hobbs, Ribera Sacra (Galicia, Spain) Godello 2019
By Roger Morris