Muros Antigos Alvarinho 2022 (Anselmo Mendes)

Cellar for up to 3 years. Serve chilled. Regarded as one of Portugal’s most exciting winemakers, Anselmo Mendes has made a name for himself consulting for many of the country’s top estates. He also makes his own wines in Minho close to the border with Spain. His winery is very much a family-run project, involving his wife, his brother and his son, as well as several employees. Anselmo first started working with the Alvarinho grape, the Portuguese name for Albariño, in 1988 and he now creates a range of styles from crisp, aromatic whites to richer, creamier expressions. Anselmo’s Muros Antigos is crafted with fruit sourced from sunny hillsides in Monção and Melgaço. The soils here are composed of granite which helps to create elegant, aromatic wines with plenty of freshness while the slopes create ripe fruit flavours thanks to the excellent exposure to sunlight during the summer months. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented using wild yeasts in neutral tanks to preserve the natural character of the variety. The wine is then aged on the lees for 4 months to add polish and extra complexity. The result is a crisp, energetic wine with vibrant grapefruit, lemon zest and white blossom notes on the nose. The first sip reveals a crisp acidity, light body and pure, clean finish. Great to drink as an aperitif or with fish, seafood, or sushi.