Rafael Palacios

Rafael Palacios is the youngest of the nine children of the Palacios Remondo family (widely known for his older brother, Álvaro, who revolutionized the wine region of Priorat in the early 1990s). After acquiring formal education in Bordeaux and working as the white winemaker at the family estate in Rioja, he was introduced to the mineral and rich Godello grape variety in 1996. In 2004, he moved to Valdeorras (Galicia, close to the Portuguese border), where he managed to purchase and acquire 26 small parcels of vineyards totaling 24.5 hectares, which he still works today.

The vineyards are planted in remote settings at altitudes of 650 to 740 meters, with sandy soils over a granite base. Some of the vines are approaching 100 years old. Due to erosion, many vineyards are planted on terraces, and the vines benefit from a mix of Atlantic and Mediterranean climates. The majority of the vines planted on these plots are Godello, with a small portion of the indigenous Treixadura grape. The viticulture is organic and partially biodynamic. After hand-harvesting, the winemaking is traditional, using exclusively natural yeasts and fermentation in tank and foudre.

The three main wines produced are: Louro, made from the younger vines of the estate and aged in older foudre; As Sortes, made from fruit harvested from old vines between 38 to 95 years old and aged in 500-liter French oak barrels; and the top wine, Sorte O Soro, a cuvée of fewer than 3,000 bottles per year from a 0.47-hectare single vineyard with vines aged over 40 years, farmed according to biodynamic principles. This wine is aged in large 500-liter new French oak barrels.

Rafael is widely considered one of the leading white wine producers in Spain today.