The 2005 Lapola has an intriguing, complex, and yes, pleasurable bouquet with touches of lanolin, dried honey and a touch of petrol that renders it close to a mature Rheingau Riesling. The palate is still fresh on the entry with good weight, again, moving the direction of a fine Eden Valley Riesling with distinct petrol tones developing. It is well-balanced with good weight and length. It will be interesting to see how this evolves. Drink now-2016. Occasionally you have to journey to remote areas in order to reach some of Spain’s finest producers, but the long drive to Dominio do Bibei to meet winemaker Javier Dominguez and his team was certainly worth it. Though winemaking in this part of Ribeira Sacra dates back centuries, the winery is unapologetically modern in design, as each disconnected building dedicated to one part of the vinification process cascades down the gorge. The vines occupy steep loam and clay terraces over granite and slate bedrock that are low in organic material, located between 300 and 670 meters in altitude. Javier came across as a deeply philosophical person with strong tenets about his wines, which exuded great purity and varietal expression, almost Burgundy-like in their tannin profile, but with a little more fruit intensity. What I enjoyed was their precision and symmetry – wines that demand concentration before sitting back and simply enjoying them. Importer: De Maison Selections (USA); www.demaisonselections.com; and Carte Blanche (UK)