Rafael Palacios

History

Many Spanish producers stick to the fields their families have long excelled in. Rafael Palacios, however, took the opposite approach, establishing a winery in Valdeorras, far from the region where he made his name, and focusing on a single white grape variety.

The variety they chose was Godello, and the location was Val do Bibei. Since then, their focus has been on concentration rather than expansion. They paid closer attention to the specific characteristics of the wine produced on each slope. The stated goals were to increase production capacity and introduce a new label. By industry standards, this is a small scale. However, these figures clearly indicate the direction the winery is heading.

Sortes, not blocks

The Bibei vineyard stretches across the O Bolo area, and this is precisely where Rafael Palacios sources its fruit. The estate manages its vineyards not by blocks but by Sortes, that is, individual plots, treating each plot as a separate unit.

This practice is directly reflected on the label. Sorte, Soro, and Sorte Antiga are more like plot names than brand names, and Sortes is simply the plural form.

Valdeorras is the Designation of Origin (DO) on official documents. Val do Bibei is a more specific address.

Godello, mostly

Godello is at the heart of Rafael Palacios. This grape variety serves as the raw material for the winery's single-vineyard wines and forms the foundation for all its other wines; rather than diversifying its portfolio with a variety of grape varieties, the winery has chosen to focus exclusively on this one.

• Godello: The sole variety in the top wines


• Treixadura: A second Galician white variety; in some vintages, it is blended into Louro

The alcohol content typically ranges from 13.5% to 14%, which is a good indicator of these wines' characteristics. In other words, they feature ripe flavors and a dry profile; they are by no means light wines.

In the cellar at A Rúa

Rafael Palacios considers Godello to be a grape variety suited for structured wines, rather than simply an aromatic white wine. Oak plays a supporting role; in Louro bottled wines, it is used sparingly, just enough to enhance the texture without masking the fruit aromas.

Grapes from each vineyard block are managed separately even within the winery; this is the fundamental logic behind the sorte naming system. Blending is done later, if at all.

Now, climate has also become part of the technical process. In 2024, with support from Spain's CDTI innovation agency, this winery registered a research project aimed at adapting the Godello variety in the DO Valdeorras region to future climate conditions. This is not merely a marketing slogan but an actual project that has been submitted.

The wines

Sorte Antigua is one of the parcel wines; like the other top-tier products, it is a white wine made from grapes ranging from Val to Bibei, rather than the standard Valdeorras blend.

Other wines that have helped establish Rafael Palacios's reputation are positioned around this wine. As Sortes is the wine that put this winery on the international stage. In contrast, Soro is produced from a single vineyard and sits at the top of the price range. All are white wines, and all are Galician. This lineup is intentionally kept small.