Rafael Palacios, Valdeorras (Galicia, Spain) 2008

 With Alvaro Palacios in Priorat and Rioja, Ricardo Palacios in Bierzo, and now with Rafael in Valdeorras, a DO in northwestern Spain, the Palacios family is one of the locomotives that continues to pull Spanish wine onto the world’s stage.  As Sortes, made entirely from the Godello grape, has a laser-like focus and precision–Palacios describes it as a “vertical” wine–that emphasizes its minerality.  Over the years, Palacios has been cutting back on the amount of oak gradually–using larger and older oak barrels for aging–to bring out the minerality of the wine. It’s a fabulous wine.  Perhaps his best to date.