We have many great Portuguese wines coming back in stock this week while at the same time we wave farewell to some of our favorites, at least for a while. Many of our returning selections have very limited availability, so we are fulfilling back orders first and all additional orders as they come in, so let us know as soon as possible if you’re interested in bringing in some of Portugal’s most distinct vinhos.

Vinho Verde
Located in the town of Melgaço, just a stone’s throw away from Spainʼs Rias Baixas region where Alvarinho is known as Albariño, Quinta de Soalheiro is one of the top white wine producers on the Iberian Peninsula. They own 6 hectares, with their largest single vineyard being just 1 hectare. They supplement their estate vineyards with another 6 hectares of vines they’ve contracted from small local growers. The farming is done organically, yields are about 6 tons/hectare and therefore production is very limited. The grapes are whole-bunch pressed and there is no skin maceration. Luís Cerdeira, son of the founder works with his brother João in running the estate along with their sister Maria. On our trip to Portugal in July we tasted vintages dating back to 1995 and the Alvarinho still shown with great acidity, aging in a similar way as the great German Rieslings.

2009 Soalheiro Alvarinho – last 50 cases of 2009 vintage
100% Alvarinho, fermented in stainless tanks and aged sur lies 1-2 months before bottling

2009 Soalheiro “Primeiras Vinhas” Alvarinho –
only 30 6-packs available of this wine! Luís’ top wine is 100% Alvarinho from the estate’s oldest vines planted in 1974 It is fermented in stainless steel tanks using natural yeast for over 4 months at low temperatures and aged sur lies 4-6 months. 10%-15% of the wine ages in older French oak barrels for 4-6 months. This wine could age for 20 years or more.

Adega de Monção, located just outside the village of Monção and a quick drive west from Melgaco, is the largest Vinho Verde cooperative in the region. Their wines include the signature Muralhas de Monção Vinho Verde (85% Alvarinho), Muralhas de Monção Rosado and our exclusive Trajarinho Vinho Verde. Thereʼs a perception that wines produced by co-ops are somehow less distinctive than those that are estate produced; that co-ops are mass production lines that put little care or attention into the product they make. Adega de Monção shows that clearly is not the case. The Adega has a team that works with their individual growers to ensure quality grapes from every producer and the wine maker himself makes frequent vineyard visits. And despite the co-op controlling 1200 hectares, those vineyards are owned by 1600 individual producers making it truly a collective of small, family farmers. Adega de Moncao also offers substantial economic incentives to produce the best quality grapes: Alvarinho, all of which is hand-harvested and dry farmed, that meets co-op standards is purchased for as much as €1.15 per kilo, lesser grapes that are used in blends or sold off to other producers fetch a tenth that amount.

2009 Adega de Monção “Deu La Deu” Alvarinho –
30 cases available. 100% Alvarinho from the co-ops best growers, fermented in stainless steel tanks. This is a standout Alvarinho and just like Soalheiro is highly age-worthy: we recently tasted a vintage from 1998 that was every bit as exciting and complex as an older Riesling. On our visit to Monção we toured the city and saw the famous “Walls (Muralhas) of Monção” from which the Adega’s signature wine gets its name. Most of Monção, from the church to the paving stones, is built from the local granite which helps give the soil its unique mineral character, and the entire village is encircled in massive granite walls. These walls were key in successfully repelling numerous Spanish invasions from across the river, including a siege in 1368 when Deu La Deu Martins, the mayor’s wife, scraped together enough flour and water to bake a few last loaves of bread and threw them over the walls to the Castilian attackers shouting “If you need any more, just ask!” The Spanish, thinking that Monção still had plentiful resources, were discouraged from their siege and retreated. Adega de Monção’s flagship wine is named after her.

Bairrada

Luis Pato is one of the most famous producers in all of Portugal. Though some may call call him a cult winemaker, his wine’s aren’t cult-like in their cost, only in their availability. He produces wines of remarkable distinction for an unexpectedly approachable price. Located in Bairrada, an one hour south of Porto, Luis has been making wines here since 1980. The most important grape of the region is Baga, a feisty little varietal that requires skill and patience but can produce great wines not unlike the best Barolos of Italy. Fortunately Luis has plenty of patience and skill when it comes to the grape, earning him the sobriquet “Mr. Baga.” He has worked for the last 30 years to bring attention the most attention to the region and pull this once little-known grape out of obscurity.

2005 Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Tinto – last 10 6-packs available of this vintage!
100% old vine Baga from three of Luisʼ 45+ year old vineyards planted in well draining, limestone rich clay soil. With the first harvest in August, about 60% of the yield goes straight to the sparkling Baga Espumante Bruto. By doing this, the concentration and maturity of the remaining grapes is increased without wasting any of the fruit. The rest of the harvest is collected during late September and makes this Vinhas Velhas Tinto. Fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, the wine then ages in a combination of new and older 650L French Allier oak barrels for 12 months. Our tasting of older Baga vintages, including Luis’ inaugural 1980 release, showed that when expertly made from quality grapes these wines can age indefinitely. The Vinhas Velhas should continue to improve for 15 years or more.

Port

Barros Port House was founded in 1913 by Manuel de Almeida. Although Relatively young for a port house, Barros was unique at the time for being owned and operated by a Portuguese family, as opposed to the British, Dutch and German firms that owned the many of the top producers. Barros specializes in Tawny Ports, particularly single vintage “Colheitas” with selections that dating back to 1937. The fruit for Barros Port wines are sourced from their picturesque Quinta São Luiz estate in the Cima Corga sub-region of the Douro Valley. São Luiz is one of the top vineyards in the Douro, holding the highest possible “A” rating by the Douro and Port Wine Institute. The steep slopes of the 120 hectare property have approximately 90 hectares under vine, some of which are over 100 years old.

2005 Barros Late Bottled Vintage – 10 cases available
LBVʼs by law must age a minimum of 4 years in barrel before bottling unlike their Vintage Port cousins who spend 2 years in barrel before being bottled. Bottled in 2009 Barrosʼ 05 LBV spent more time developing in oak making it more resistant to the effects of oxidation and ready to drink at a much earlier age. Reminiscent of Vintage Port but not quite as intense, open a bottle now and it will stay fresh up to 2-3 weeks. Barros LBVʼs are bottled with only a light filtration so they will have some natural sediment in the bottles.

Questions, comments and orders: you know how to reach us.

Cheers,

The Vinos Unico Crew