2023 Soalheiro Mineral Rose Alvahrinho & Pinot Noir Portugal

2023 Soalheiro Mineral Rose Alvahrinho & Pinot Noir Portugal

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtPortugalRosé

Soalheiro

Mineral Rosé
Alvarinho & Pinot Noir
Portugal, 2023

2023 Soalheiro Mineral Rose Alvahrinho & Pinot Noir Portugal

Soalheiro’s 2023 Mineral Rosé flows like poetry from Portugal’s northernmost vineyards, a vibrant expression of precision and grace. Rooted in the sub-region of Monção and Melgaço, these vines thrive in a microclimate where gentle rains, abundant sunlight, and pronounced daily temperature shifts converge to shape grapes of remarkable purity and bright acidity.

Crafted from 70% Alvarinho and 30% Pinot Noir, the 2023 Mineral Rosé echoes the elegance of Provençal rosés while remaining distinctly Portuguese in character. Each variety ferments separately before blending seamlessly in this thoughtfully composed wine, which matures on fine lees for six months in stainless steel, lending subtle complexity and a refined texture.

In the glass, this rosé reveals itself as both ethereal and compelling. Its bright, vivacious palate dances effortlessly, presenting a captivating portrait of its origins and an irresistible invitation to savor the sublime.

Soalheiro
Mineral Rosé
Alvarinho & Pinot Noir
Portugal, 2023

Your Price: $29.99

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The Soalheiro 2023 Rosé of Alvarinho and Pinot Noir from the Minho region in Portugal delivers a vivacious character with notes of lime zest, pink grapefruit, peach, nectarine, white strawberries, and a presence of wet stone minerality and marine salinity with a cool, coastal freshness. On the palate, the wine has flavors of fresh raspberries and tropical touches of melon and mango, and finishes refreshingly crisp and light, making each sip even more enjoyable than the last. Though this wine is an excellent choice during summer, it has a delectable thirst-quenching quality that lends itself to any occasion, any time of the year.”

95 Points

2021 Quinta Da Raza Alvarihnho Trajadura Vinho Verde Portugal

2021 Quinta Da Raza Alvarihnho Trajadura Vinho Verde Portugal

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtPortugalProprietary White

QUINTA DA RAZA

ALVARINHO TRAJADURA
VINHO VERDE PORTUGAL 2021

2021 Quinta Da Raza Alvarihnho Trajadura Vinho Verde Portugal
Quinta da Raza is a family-owned winery located in the Vinho Verde DOC in Northwestern Portugal. The estate has been in operation for five generations, and they are passionate about producing high-quality wines that reflect the region’s unique terroir.
 
Vinho Verde is a coastal region that is exposed to the Atlantic Ocean. This combination of maritime influences and granite soils creates an ideal environment for growing white grape varieties. These grapes are often blended together to create both complex and refreshing wines.
 
The 2021 Alvarinho Trajadura is a perfect example of this type of wine. It is a blend of 60% Alvarinho and 40% Trajadura, and it was fermented in stainless steel and aged on the lees for four months. This results in a wine that is bright, refreshing, and full of flavor.
 
This wine is perfect for enjoying by the pool on a hot summer day. It would also be a great pairing for seafood dishes or light salads.
 
QUINTA DA RAZA
ALVARINHO TRAJADURA
VINHO VERDE PORTUGAL 2021
 
Your Price: $22
 
 
“The Quinta da Raza 2021 Alvarinho Trajadura is light, bright, and opens with playful notes of lime blossom, jasmine, grapefruit, white peach, fresh ginger, and a chalky minerality. On the palate, the wine is slightly effervescent with zesty acidity and flavors of blood orange, lime zest, cantaloupe, and freshly squeezed lemonade. This wine is a quintessential necessity for summertime with its opulence and levity and leaves a lasting impression accompanied by an impressive finish.”
97 Points
2022 Soalheiro Mineral Rose Alvarinho and Pinot Noir Portugal

2022 Soalheiro Mineral Rose Alvarinho and Pinot Noir Portugal

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtPortugalRosé

SOALHEIRO 

MINERAL ROSÉ
ALVARINHO & PINOT NOIR
PORTUGAL 2022

2022 Soalheiro Mineral Rose Alvarinho and Pinot Noir Portugal
The founders of Soalheiro planted Alvarinho (Albariño) in 1974 in the Portuguese region of Monção and Melgaço, which was unheard of at the time. Today the third generation of the family runs the winery and has implemented sustainable viticulture to ensure the health of the vines and the surrounding environment.
 
The Soalheiro Mineral Rosé was inspired by the famous rosés of Provence, boasting minerality in a light, dry style of wine while giving prominence to two varieties from two different regions in Portugal. 
 
This unique blend showcases 70% Alvarinho and 30% Pinot Noir harvested and fermented separately before spending six months in stainless steel with lees contact. The 2022 release projects crisp mineral notes with light spice and fresh, exotic fruits, mirroring qualities I look for in the world’s top-level Rosés. 
 
SOALHEIRO 
MINERAL ROSÉ
ALVARINHO & PINOT NOIR
PORTUGAL 2022
 
 
 
“The Soalheiro 2022 Mineral Rosé of Alvarihno and Pinot Noir is exuberant and elegantly layered with aromas of wet stones, rose petals, lime zest, blood orange, lychee, and white strawberry. On the palate, the wine is crisp and complex with flavors of strawberry cream, grapefruit, pear, and lychee. This wine has bright acidity that perfectly complements the fresh fruit and minerality that dances into a brilliant finish.”
98 Points
2019 Quinta de Soalheiro Alvarinho (Albarino) Moncao e Melgaco Portugal

2019 Quinta de Soalheiro Alvarinho (Albarino) Moncao e Melgaco Portugal

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtPortugal

QUINTA de SOALHEIRO 

2019 ALVARINHO (ALBARINO)
MONCAO e MELGACO, PORTUGAL

2019 Quinta de Soalheiro Alvarinho (Albarino) Moncao e Melgaco Portugal
Soalheiro is a benchmark producer of high-quality Albariño wines from the Monçao region of Northern Portugal. Their journey started nearly 50 years ago when Joгo Antуnio Cerdeira and his father planted the area’s first Albariño vines. The region is uniquely protected by surrounding mountains, creating atmospheric conditions ideal for ripening the coveted Spanish variety. They produce their Albariño in a super-clean, minerally, bright, and refreshing style, and with the 95 point score and modest price, everybody should try it.
 
Albarino grows best in areas with a strong maritime influence, which helps the grapes maintain a lively acidity. Soalheiro’s Vineyards are positively affected by the Minho River, which carries marine winds inland from the Atlantic. 
 
Joгo decants the freshly pressed juice for 48 hours at low temperatures before fermentation to concentrate the grapes’ qualities and allow room for evolution in the bottle. His wines are stunning upon release and can age for more than a decade.
 
QUINTA de SOALHEIRO 
2019 ALVARINHO (ALBARINO)
MONCAO e MELGACO, PORTUGAL
 
Your Price: $24.99
 
“A delicate but beguiling, lifted nose, with lychee and fennel notes that follow through on a cool elegant palate, alongside white peach, nectarine, pear, pear skin and a touch of passionfruit. Steely, grapefruit acidity makes for a well-focused, long, mineral finish. Lovely purity, balance and restraint. Drinking Window 2020 – 2034”
95 Points
 
“…a blend from their own parcels in Melgaco as well as neighboring vines they help farm…. Their flagship bottling is a blend of estate and purchased fruit, and this 2019 is the best version we’ve tasted in recent years. It captures their placement between the mountains and sea, where the Minho River carries winds inland from the Atlantic. Bright and fresh when first poured, the wine’s flavors of lemon pith and crunchy apple extend with air, gaining depth and length while holding the cool, airy feel of a summer rain.”
93 Points
 
“… The expression of fruit here is pure Alvarinho… It’s pretty tasty in its youth too. Like the Granit, though, this might be better next year—although this is more approachable. They both will age well, as the winery’s track record in general has frequently demonstrated over the years… This looks terrific this year, and it’s a typically super value. Drink 2020 – 2031”
92 Points
2015 Quinta Do Vallado Reserva Douro

2015 Quinta Do Vallado Reserva Douro, Portugal

with No Comment $50-$60Kevin VogtPortugalProprietary Red

QUINTA DO VALLADO

2015 RESERVA 
DOURO, PORTUGAL 

2015 Quinta Do Vallado Reserva Douro
If I were to choose just one International wine that I’ve discovered in my career that perfectly represents everything great in a wine, Quinta Do Vallado is it.  And while the texture, flavors and depth are ridiculously irresistible, what I love most about this wine is that it’s incredibly unique and yet it appeals to nearly everyone who tries it. One taste offers a lasting impression of deep red and black fruits, wild complexity and a long and persistent, satiny finish. Portugal’s dry wines are simply making a lot of dedicated, die-hard enthusiasts, and this bottle will push them over th e top.  In fact, on the 2014 Wine Spectator Top 100 list, wines #1, #3 & #4 were all from the Douro region of Portugal, and to me, I’ve tried them all and this one is even better.
 
A fusion of more than 30 grape varietals, Vallado’s 2013 Reserva asserts a crescendo of tightly wound, brilliantly focused fruit, and is more vibrant than a Nadir Afonso painting.  Utilizing fruit from ancient vines more than 100 years old, Quinta do Vallado’s 2015 Reserva has already earned 93 Points from Robert Parker.  Very few cases of the Reserva were imported this year, and having already earned a high score, this one certainly won’t be available for very long. 
 
QUINTA DO VALLADO
2015 RESERVA 
DOURO, PORTUGAL
Retails at:  $65.00/btl
 
Your Price: $54.99/btl
YOU SAVE 15%
 
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate: “The 2015 Reserva is a field blend of very old vines (100+ years old), aged for 18 months in an equal blend of new and used barrels. It comes in at 14% alcohol. This was previously seen as a tank sample. Here’s the bottled version in the USA. Reasonably concentrated for the producer’s subregion and the vintage, this actually has fleshed out since I last saw it. Yet it retains that graceful, textured feel, the freshness and the fine fruit. I suspect the wine will show even more elegance as it continues to age… This is going to be a hard-to-resist wine when it hits the table at dinner.” 93 Points
 
Customers who enjoy Quinto Do Vallado’s Reserva may also enjoy these two terrific wines…
2013 Enzo Bianchi Proprietary Red
 2012 Vik Milla Cala Proprietary Red
ENZO BIANCHI 
2013 PROPRIETARY RED
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
Retails at:  $65.00/btl
 
Your Price: $54.99/btl 

Click to Order

 
From The Wine Enthusiast: “This Cabernet-Malbec-Petit Verdot blend smells smoky and rich, with lemony oak notes. But in the mouth, it’s tight as a drum, with an unbreakable structure. Dark spice and clove notes accent ripe berry fruit that’s not jammy and which has absorbed its oak well. Its firm, tannic finish will stand guard as it ages for a decade or more…”  93 Points, Editor’s Choice
VIK
2012 MILLA CALA
PROPRIETARY RED
MILLAHUE VALLEY, CHILE
 
Your Price: $39.99/btl 

Click to Order

 
From The Wine Spectator: “Rich and refined, delivering unctuous dark fruit and spice flavors that offer a creamy svelteness. Slate and mineral accents linger on the complex finish, with dark chocolate and olive notes. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Merlot. Drink now through 2022…”  94 Points