José Antonio Garcia godello & doña blanca 2022

Jose Antonio Garcia and his wife Julia are undeniably part of the new generation of winemakers in Bierzo. Their passion and pursuit of authenticity and sustainability result in refined wines with a gastronomic impact. During our visit to their estate, we were impressed by their meticulous approach and the careful handling in both the vineyards and the wine cellars.

Jose and Julia own around 17 hectares of vineyards, mainly in the municipality of Valtuille de Abajo and a smaller part in Corúllon. Both municipalities have been linked to Bierzo for generations; even Jose’s parents owned vineyards. They work hard in the vineyards and the winery themselves, which explains the name ‘VITICULTOR’ on their label. When they started their estate, they bought some old vineyards, ranging from 80 to 120 years old, and restored them to their biodiversity. These vines date from an era without the different clones that were created to obtain higher yields. The strength and the result of this reconstruction and age are clearly visible when you walk through their vineyards and compare them with those of their neighbours. Their approach is particularly strict and testifies to self-imposed discipline and perseverance, only local compost is used and only organic growing methods are applied.

This blend of godello and doña blanca is one of the remarkable white wines that Jose and Julia produce in the region. This wine comes from one of the oldest vineyards in Europe, some 90 to 130 year old vines, dating from the 'pre-genetic modification' era. These vines are crucial for achieving the unique quality and authenticity in the wines. This white wine was matured in French oak barrels, without 'soutirage' (= topping up the barrels during maturation to prevent oxidation). This causes a 'voile' or 'flor' to develop on the wine, this is a layer of wild yeast that protects the wine from complete oxidation. This unique phenomenon can only occur in the right conditions and is similar to the method of maturing wine in the Jura and Sherry. The final wine gains enormously in concentration, depth and length and gets the specific fresh notes in aroma.

Bierzo has had a quality classification in recent years that can be compared to the system in Burgundy: regional, municipal and single vineyards. This wine falls under the regional level. This wine begs for some extra oxygen in its youth, in a wider glass or carafe and even better with pure quality products on the plate.

Domain: José Antonio Garcia
Grape: 85% mencia (+ 15% godello, doña blanca, palomino)
Country: Spain
Region: Bierzo
Wine style: full white
Wine & food: baked cod with romesco, Bouchot mussels with Vermouth and cream, briefly fried langoustine with hazelnut, leek 'Caveman style'
Serving temperature: 12°C
Storage: < 5 years consumption
Content: 75 cl