La del Vivo, La Vizcaina de Vinos, Bierzo, 2017

A particularly vibrant and characterful wine is the Godello – Dona Blanca blend aptly named “the live one.” Sourced from one plot in La Poulosa and one in Las Villegas, the 2017 exudes a thrum of tropical notes under pear and apple skin, with a charge of flint and electrifying acidity. Mouth-watering but textured and tight and crisp on the finish, bordering on austere, this needs a little bottle age to calm down, when it does it will prove both vibrant and enticing. 50% aged and fermented in 500L barrel and 50% in 2000L fuder. No battonage and not racked, just left on the fine lees. Bottled December 2018