Xil out

Telmo Rodriguez “Gaba do Xil” 2007 Valdeorras Godello (Northwest Spain) – Quite vibrant, pacing somewhere between a bronzed firmness and an abandoned, yet two-dimensional, still life of beach living. Quite flavorful, but never tripping over itself into a stumbling, clumsy drunkenness. Fun, but a slightly more sophisticated version thereof. (10/10)

Ferran

Adria “The Pilgrimage” 2007 Bierzo Godello (Northwest Spain) – There’s a layer of thickness here through which one must press, initially, and the effort leads to…well, not very much. Some wan stone fruit in an otherwise watery soup, in which the alcohol is left to fill in the gaps. Not very good. (10/08)

New mountain

Valdesil “MonteNovo” 2006 Valdeorras Godello (Northwest Spain) – Thick minerality braced by effortless ripe-apple acidity and smoother, softer textures of melon and the less-sweet types of stone fruit. Builds in reaction to food, then subsides into a pleasant cocktail in food’s absence. A fun wine. (5/08)