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Tasting notes
Anselmo Mendes, Muros Antigos Escolha 2019
'The 2019 Muros Antigos Escolha is a blend of 40% Loureiro, 40% Avesso and 20% Alvarinho, unoaked and notably crisper and lighter than last year's (1.5 grams of residual sugar, 7.2 grams of total acidity) and 12% alcohol. Each of the grapes comes from the subregions most famous for them – Alvarinho from Monção e Melgaço, Loureiro from Lima and Avesso from Baião. This is where the lineup gets fruity as well as fresh. This is delicious, not merely well constructed. Yet the acidity beautifully lifts the fruit, so it always seems serious. It is long on the finish, a bit tense and chock-full of flavor. At this level in the lineup, I don't always expect brilliance, but this seems pretty fine right now. Perhaps, too, it is just more open that some of the bigger wines. Will it seem as good when the exuberant young fruit calms down? Maybe, maybe not. That said and considered, let's lean up on this given how well it shows now. If it slips a little as time goes on, so be it, but I'd bet it can age well. We'll be a bit conservative there, though, and take the drinking window in stages. Drink 2020-2027.' – Mark Squires, Wine Advocate, 90/100
Anselmo Mendes, Muros Antigos Loureiro 2019
'The 2019 Loureiro Muros Antigos Escolha, in bottle about two months when tasted, comes in with 1.5 grams of residual sugar, 6.7 grams of total acidity and 12% alcohol. Continuing a trend, this seems just a bit fresher and crisper than last year's version. The grapes are all sourced from the Lima Valley, the area most famed for Loureiro. Drink 2020'2029.' – Mark Squires, Wine Advocate, 90/100
Niepoort, Drink Me Branco 2020
'The Drink me Branco 2020 is a great example of the Niepoort style: austere and deeply mineral. This is a fresh white wine with herbaceous and citrusy notes on the nose as well as a youthful character which nevertheless promises great ageing potential. Overall, a wine of great finesse and elegance, ending in an electric finish which will linger enticingly in your mind.' – Niepoort
Niepoort, Redoma Branco 2019
'The 2019 Redoma Branco is a field blend from old vines featuring Rabigato, Códega, Viosinho, Donzelinho and others, aged for six months in 20% new French oak. It comes in very dry and at just 12.2% alcohol. This is another super Redoma Branco, which is easily one of the very best values in the Niepoort lineup every year. It's never a big and fat wine, so if that's what you're looking for, look away. It has wonderfully expressive fruit and a subtle concentration that is impressive, however. Plus, it has beautiful structure and persistent but controlled tension on the finish. It's always bright, never shrill, and it handles the modest wood well. There is a slight smoked-toast nuance, but not a lot. It's something to watch, or give this some air. This is a lot of wine for the money if you like the fresh and understated style. Niepoort always says these will age for a couple of decades. It probably will, but let's take that in stages. His track record of saying such things and backing it up has been pretty good, though, and I have seen some nicely developed and intriguing ones. There were 60,000 bottles produced from old vines (60 to 80 years). Drink 2021-2036.' – Mark Squires, Wine Advocate, 92/100
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