2024 Louro do Bolo
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Rafael Palacios needs no introduction – today he is one of Galicia and Spain’s leading lights. His Louro do Bolo has long set the benchmark for Godello. His entry-level bottling, Louro is sourced from steep, granite terraces in the Val do Bibei, sitting at between 600 and 720 metres above sea-level. The juice is fermented in large foudre, then left on its lees for four months prior to bottling, adding textural complexity. The 2024 is bright and pithy – the nose packed with lime zest, crisp green apple and sea spray. The palate is taut and intense, limey, pure and long, the layers of fruit complementing its backbone of minerality. This is still a baby and will flesh out in bottle, the light spritz disappearing and developing more of its trademark waxy, honeyed tones. Another beautiful Godello from Rafa.
Critic scores
Average Score
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
A second wine made to be more accessible, translating as the “blonde” of the village, 2024 Louro Do Bolo is an outstanding village Godello from parcels through all the region planted in sandy and granitic soils. Medium-bodied, it has tremendous complexity and sophistication alongside a purity of citrus-driven fruit and fennel, with supportive acidity and enduring freshness. Fermentation is in French oak foudres, followed by aging on the fine lees for additional months. Drink now through 2034. The youngest brother of Alvaro Palacios, one of the pioneers of modern Priorat, and uncle of Ricardo Perez Palacios of Descendientes de J. Palacios in nearby Bierzo, Rafael Palacios came to Valdeorras in 2004 and started buying neglected vineyards planted to forgotten native Godello in low-yielding soils at the highest elevations. The winemaking here is modern, with a nod to tradition, using horse and mule in the highest vineyards.
Remarkable precision on the palate, with both opulence and salinity. Delicate mineral notes, fluid and elegant. Subtle hints of quince, chalk, and crystalline purity. An exceptionally refined vintage. It’s astonishing that such beauty can be achieved at a scale of 210,000 bottles. (FC)
The youngest of the portfolio is the 2024 Louro, which has a balsamic, herbal and faintly medicinal nose (it does smell a little of bay leaf, which is what "louro" means in the Galician language!), quite aromatic. It fermented in 3,500-liter oak foudres, where the wine matured with the lees for four months. It doesn't lack ripeness; it comes in at 14% alcohol but retains good freshness and acidity. It's approachable and has a tender texture. They produced 185,000 bottles. It was bottled between April and May 2025.