Anselmo Mendes Alvarinho do Gonçalo 2021

Anselmo Mendes is one of the most respected names in Vinho Verde, in the Minho region of northern Portugal, and did much to prove the potential of Alvarinho there. This bottling is his son Gonçalo's personal interpretation of the grape, and it takes a richer, more worked approach than the usual crisp Vinho Verde. The grapes come from the Monção and Melgaço area, where Alvarinho ripens more fully than elsewhere in the region, giving concentrated stone fruit while the granite soils and northern climate hold the acidity firm. The wine ages nine months in oak barrels. Time in wood on the lees builds body, a creamy texture and a honeyed, faintly nutty depth, moving the wine well beyond the light, aromatic template into something fuller and more serious. The colour is deep golden-yellow. The nose is ripe and tropical, with white peach, apricot and melon over honey and white flowers. The palate is full and textured, the ripe fruit and subtle oak balanced by the grape's bright acidity, which keeps the wine fresh through a long finish. Serve at 11 to 12C in a larger glass.