2019 Dominio Do Bibei Lapola Ribeira Sacra is sold out.

Sign up to receive notifications when wines from this producer become available

A mineral-rich Decanter Wine of the Year

Wine Bottle
  • 93 pts Decanter
    93 pts Decanter
  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

2019 Dominio Do Bibei Lapola Ribeira Sacra 750 ml

Sold Out

Sign up to receive notifications when wines from this producer become available.
  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

Vineyards Terraced out of Rock and Determination

It’s a miracle that anyone thought to plant vines here. Dominio do Bibei’s vineyards are treacherously steep. The terraces plunge down over 800 feet, and the crumbly slate and shale soils slip underfoot.

These slopes were first planted by monks in the 8th century. Now they're overseen by Javier Domínguez—the owner of and driving force behind Dominio Bibei and the man bringing the maximum potential out of the site. Lapola—a white wine fashioned from Galicia’s native Godello grape—is his calling card, and it thrills us every time.

The 2019 Lapola is one of Decanter’s Wines of the Year 2021 for the way it packs the wildness of Bibei’s terrain into an elegant, civilized package. Even for wine professionals, it’s exceptionally rare to drink a white wine from Ribera Sacra, and the appeal is immediate. Brilliant scents of sea spray, savory herbs, and candied citrus mingle with hints of raw almonds, leading into a palate that’s just weighty enough to deliver flavor with a thunderbolt.

Godello had nearly vanished from Spain by the 1970s in favor of higher-yielding varieties. Lapola mixes the textured, high-acid grape with Albariño and a touch of the local Doña Blanca. These varieties thrive in this cool, verdant corner of northwest Spain, and the slight waxiness of the Godello is brilliantly balanced by the electricity of the other two.

There’s no stainless steel in the winery—everything is done in an old-school way, with large old barrels and concrete tanks—and the wine ferments with native yeasts. The result is a gorgeous white wine that expresses the soul of this wild region.