2023 Casa de Rodas, Alvarinho, Symington Family Estates, Monção and Melgaço, Portugal.
This bright and complex pale gold Alvarinho by Anselmo Mendes at Casa de Rodas is brilliant lighter framed version of this grape, most associated with the Rias Baixas region in Spain, but one that has long been a part of this Vinho Verde region, and it shows off purity of fruit, mineral and fine aromatics. Crisp apple, racy citrus, delicate tropical fruit and peachy stone fruit lead the way on the vibrant and salty light palate, along with lime blossom, resiny herbs and wet stone. Symington Family Estates’ Casa de Rodas, is a historic vineyard estate in Monção and Melgaço, originally founded in the 1800s and the first property in Portugal the varietal label a Alvarinho (Albariño) back in the 1930s. It was acquired by Symington in 2022 and their first harvest at the old estate was in 2023, again with Anselmo Mendes as the winemaker. I got a preview taste of this new wine and my own notes will follow soon, but I can say now that it was a fabulous effort that easily compares with the more famous Rias Baixas (Spanish) versions and I recommend searching it out. The Monção and Melgaço sub-region of the Vinho Verde DOC in northern Portugal is one of the best white wine growing areas in the country and the value here is outstanding, with Alvarinho, Arinto and Loureiro grape varietals being the stars here, and this wine is an elevated and structured example.
The Vinho Verde region, sometimes mistaken for a type of grape or a singular style, is a cool climate zone in Northern Portugal with a wet Atlantic influence and granite based sandy soils, which brings out the mine mineral tones and loads of natural acidity, as seen here. The estate Casa de Rodas vines as used on this Alvarinho are all organic and the grapes were 100% de-stemmed, cold soaked on the skins, maybe a few hours, fermented cool and then vat aged on the lees for 3 or so months with some batonage (stirring) before being bottled quickly to preserve its vibrancy. The Symington family decided, as they note, to strengthen their long-running relationship with the legendary Vinho Verde producer Anselmo Mendes by forming the Mendes & Symington partnership in 2023. This joint venture between the two families aims to develop premium wines from the prestigious Monção and Melgaço sub-region of the Vinho Verde DOC in northern Portugal, especially important in this is the Symington’s marketing power and worldwide reach to customers.The company first acquired the renowned Alvarinho wine, Contacto, (produced by Anselmo Mendes) which has seen remarkable success in Portugal and now internationally, and which both families believe has great potential for further development, which can be seen with the new addition of the Loureiro version. Mendes & Symington has also just launched a range of premium wines from Casa de Rodas, like the wine seen, here and they are beautiful offerings that I highly recommend.
($34 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive