The new scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate have been published in the report written by Luis Gutiérrez.
All La Val wines have been awarded with more than 90 points!
La Val orballo 2023: 92 puntos
The 2023 Orballo ( which means “light rain” in Galician) is a varietal Albariño from the vines in the Finca Vilachan in the subzone of O Rosal on schist soils, closer to the sea, with a more marked salinity and minerality. It fermented in two 5,000-liter stainless steel tanks where it was kept with the lees for six months, followed by six months in concrete eggs and a further six months in ceramic vessels. It has 12.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.35 and 7.5 grams of acidity. This is the wine that has a distinct and characterful profile, showing the particularities of the place; it has a more expressive and nuanced nose and a very sharp and focused palate with vibrant acidity and freshness. 9,850 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2024.
La Val Arantei 2023: 91 puntos
The 2023 Arantei comes from the vineyard that names the wine, a selection of Albariño from the 26 hectares of 37-year-old vines planted in pergola on alluvial soils from the Miño River with clay that deliver fruit-driven and balanced wines. It has 12.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.35 and 6.9 grams of acidity. It fermented with indigenous yeasts; 10% of the wine matured in new 500-liter French oak barrels with no bâtonnage of the lees, 10% matured in used 300-liter French oak barrel with bâtonnage, and the rest was kept in tank with the lees for eight months. The oak is super subtle, and the wine is not tropical at all—it’s serious, austere and just a little balsamic. 20,187 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2024.
La Val Treixadura 2023: 90+
The varietal 2023 Treixadura was produced with grapes from the four-hectare Porto vineyard on alluvial soils from the Miño River planted in pergola. It fermented in stainless steel, and 25% of the volume matured in new 500-liter French oak barrels for six months, with the rest kept in tank with the lees. It’s a white with a more Atlantic profile of freshness and lower alcohol; it’s herbal and clean, with 12% alcohol and 7.2 grams of acidity. It has some creaminess and good volume and texture, but then the wine is sharp, fine-boned and very dry, with a chalky texture. 2,815 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2024.
La Val Condado de Tea: 90+
The new 2023 Condado de Tea is a blend of mainly Albariño (80% to 85%) with Treixadura and some Loureiro Blanco from the Porto property in the subzone of Condado de Tea in Rias Baixas on alluvial soils. It is aromatic and fresh, from grapes that were picked very early. It fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts, where it was kept with the lees for six months. The 15% of other grapes has weight in the blend, giving it Condado character, more inland, with more herbal notes and mellow acidity, less sharp than the pure Albariño. It has 12.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.37 and 6.7 grams of acidity. It is dry, tasty and clean. 13,348 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2024.
La Val Albariño 2023: 90
The 2023 La Val is the Albariño from the different vineyards mixing granite, alluvial and slate soils. 2023 was an early harvest, when all the grapes were picked in August. The must fermented in stainless steel, where the wine was kept with the lees for three months. It has 12.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.38 and seven grams of acidity. It’s varietal and clean, with notes of freshly cut grass, flowers and white fruit. It has a serious and dry palate that is clean, focused and precise. 161,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2024.
La Val Gran Añada 2019: 92+
A new top-of-the-range Albariño with a longer élevage, the 2019 Gran Añada is a selection from the best vineyards in the best vintages, kept with the lees in tank for four years, renewing the lees with each new vintage. It has 12.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.3 and seven grams of acidity. This is obviously different, mainly because of its age; the nose is more developed, expressive and nuanced, with hints of orange peel, diesel and decayed white flowers, and it has a serious, sharp and austere palate. 7,465 bottles were filled in February 2024.