The 2009 Benaza Godello was a very interesting wine. Beautiful color in the glass, pale golden with a slightly green edge to it. The nose was all about white flowers and tropical fruits. There were hints of papaya and melon, and from sniffing the glass my initial reaction was that it was going to be fat and a little overblown with fruit, an uber-ripe California chardonnay minus the oak.
One sip put that impression to rest. This wine had a tremendous spine of acid. While the nose screamed fat and amorphous, the feel of the wine in the mouth was more Chablis like. It had sharp edges to it that really balanced out the big fruit tastes of papaya, melon, and pineapple. It never went over the top, the fruit and acid just balanced each other perfectly. There was a lengthy finish that ended totally clean with a definite minerality to carry you to the next sip. I was very impressed with this wine.
The wine is from the Monterrei region of Spain, a small area adjoining the extreme northeast corner of Portugal. This was my first ever wine from that region, and my first Godello. It definitely won't be my last.
There was a small plate of pasta with shrimp for dinner the first night and this was a good match. The second night there was a pork chop, sprinkled with paprika and grilled. When the chop was turned on the grill we covered the top with a peach and habanero chutney and let that warm while the chop finished cooking. Great match with this wine.
$13 and 13% alcohol. A very reasonably priced wine.
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