Telmo Rodriguez, Valdeorras (Galicia, Spain) Godello 2018

 I was not prepared to be so impressed with this wine, but it caught my attention and I could not turn away.  It has a light golden color and aromas of ripe apples, the zest of oranges and limes, light floral and dusty mineral notes.  It is ripe and round and mouth-filling with lime, peach, apple flavors with anise notes that suggest a savory, pleasant contrasting bitterness.  The acidity sings through the rich flavors and the finish lingers.  It has the structure and stateliness of an important white variety of aristocratic origin without the attendant price tag.  Godello grapes in this wine come from the Valdeorras appellation in the far eastern part of Galicia, aka. Green Spain.  Telmo Rodriguez and Pablo Eguzkiza make this wine and many others from regions throughout Spain.  I once heard Rodriguez say that he is a “driving winemaker.”  Rather than a jet-setting flying winemaker, Rodriguez and partner Eguzkiza, also a winemaker, have been exploring Spain wine regions since the early 1990s finding and restoring old vines and varieties.  They now have 355 plots of vines a total of 80 hectares (197 acres) planted with 43 different varieties of native grapes.  That does not include Rodriguez’s family winery in Rioja Alavesa, Remelluri, that he and his sister, Amaia Rodríguez Hernandorena own and operate.