Anselmo Mendes Contacto Alvarinho Vinho Verde 2021

Review is on the 2020 vintage.

94 pts Wine & Spirits Magazine
Anselmo Mendes plays with a short maceration with the grape skins in Contacto, using fruit from parcels close to the Minho River where the granitic soils are packed with small alluvial stones. The wine hits in 2020 with a powerful and long-lived alvarinho that smells great the moment it’s poured. And its dry, mouthwatering flavors only get more structured and detailed with air. Initially saturated with dried-fruit notes of peach and mango, that fruit extends into juiciness, creating tension with the austerity of the soil-driven structure. Delicious now, this will be better in a year and fascinating with five or six years in bottle.