The second advantage are the vines, some of which are as old as the hills. Nowhere else in Europe is the average age of the vines as high as here. The old Mencia vines, with which three quarters of the area is planted, produce at sea levels of over 800 metres, on the one hand, extremely juicy, animating young wines with bite and tension, and on the other hand, deep, complex, often distinctly mineral top qualities with tart juice, fine floral and herbal aromas and always pepper.
With the white wines, the dominance of one variety is far less than with the reds. The best results, however, are undoubtedly achieved by Godello, from which the majority of the top white wines are consequently pressed. Godello is restrained in its aroma, but at its best it has juice, fullness and at the same time backbone. Even wines with a higher alcohol content always retain a certain coolness and freshness. They are among the most exciting whites in Spain.
We tasted around 70 wines for this BEST OF, of which we present the best here. Links to all wines with detailed tasting notes as well as their producers can be found at the end of each list.