Text José Silva | Translation Bruno Ferreira

Even though his origins are in Monção, Anselmo Mendes eventually ended up settling in Melgaço, in 1997. He bought a property where in addition to a small house, he also built a winery. Its growth was immense, exponential. And it was only natural that, in 1998, he released his first wine, Muros de Melgaço.

A scholar, a researcher, applying the teachings of the vast and rich history of Portuguese wines in his own wines, and only adding the necessary modernity. Likes to study the vines, being nowadays a consultant oenologist in several other regions of the country and even in Brasil. He also likes to teach and train those who accompany him and work with him. Those same people help him make experiences, I mean a lot of experiences, in the vineyard, but mainly in the winery. But work doesn’t have to be something boring, he also has fun with them while working. In fact, Anselmo Mendes is a fun person, easy talking and very interesting, transpiring his knowledge and passion over this fascinating world of wine.

When his winery reached its maximum physical boundaries, Anselmo Mendes decided to build a winery from scratch. Further down, modern, well-equipped and with an adequate space for the amount of wine he produces nowadays.

Harnessing the moment, he also recuperated the old facilities with tremendous good taste, transforming the vats’ winery into a tastings’ room, consisting of a comfortable living room and a tastings’ room very well-equipped with a view over the valley, up to Minho river.

While keeping some of the old barrels and equipment, that have no use nowadays, he turned the old barrels’ room into an “experiences’” room. Sometimes delicious stuff emerge from there.

In a recent visit we stopped by the winery to taste some of the vats’ wines, all from 2014, with a special highlight to a Loureiro that almost left us stunned, such was its quality and potential! And, of course, we tasted the Alvarinhos which will give place to some of the wines of this producer, well-known in the market. However, Anselmo Mendes leaves a promise of fresh news for this year… we’ll be waiting.

Five minutes after we left the winery, where some wines were already being bottled and labeled. Then went to the “old” facilities, in this case, the comfort of the tastings’ room.

We didn’t resist to take a walk around the vines which are completely naked this time of the year, after being pruned. Their first shoots should start to grow next month.

In the morning’s cold the valley was peaceful and quiet, smoke from the fireplaces here and there, and the mounds of branches of the pruning molding the view, also a current water tank.

And all around there were imposing granite walls, separating the trees and vines as well as the various vineyard plots levels.

“Walls like this are no longer made!”, said Anselmo. The main difference between the Alvarinho vineyards of Monção and Melgaço (which, together make up the sub-region of Moção e Melgaço), is that Monção’s vineyards are mainly located in an ample valley, straightening upstream, squeezed between Minho river and the mountain. Then it starts to get terrace shaped the closer it gets to Melgaço. These Anselmo’s vines are a fine example.

We also dropped by the old barrels winery, now awaiting upcoming and new processes. A new visit is already arranged, sometime around September, to enjoy ourselves a bit.

Now it was time for the main tasting. We sat at the table along with our host, to taste… 18 wines!

It was promissing, and we were guided by the master. He was explaining, advising and justifying his choices while we were tasting. But is it really necessary justification to taste this wines?!

We started by the Muros Antigos 2014, 2012, 2010. The 2010 still quite fresh, with good acidity, and the 2014 still full of fruit, slightly tropical, silky, promising fine experiences in the summer. Followed up was Muros Antigos Loureiro 2014 and 2010. Another grape variety that Anselmo Mendes intensly works, to perfection, this time providing two different perspectives. The 2014 quite floral, intense, great acidity in the mouth and a persistent and fresh finish. The 2010, sensational, developed but still with fine acidity, some ripe white fruit, and exotic with an elegant and silky finish – proving that the whites from the Vinho Verde region also age gallantly.

Then it was time for the four Muros Antigos Alvarinho: 2014, 2012, 2010 and 2009. The first, still young, almost a baby, needing some more time in the bottle but already showing some minerality to balance the very present fruit, good mouth volume, in the line of its older brothers. The 2012 is already a classic. The fruit, even though present is quite balanced, intense minerality, elegant yet bodied, fine acidity, a very balanced yet still young set. The 2010 is an Alvarinho with quite some evolution already, the fruits almost vanished and were replaced with dried notes, smooth delicious chemical aromas with a firm granitic minerality. In the mouth is round, persistent, volumous, and even slightly austere, with a good acidity extending its finish. The 2009 is a completely evolved Alvarinho, very elegant, exotic even, full of complexity, with inebriating tertiary aromas, hard to identify but tempting, the ending is long, silky, and firm.

On the same note but different style we tasted Contacto 2014, 2012 and 2010. A more aromatic Alvarinho, this 2014 is still full of tropical fruit, intense, very fresh, silky, one of the most gastronomic ones, asking for food. The 2012 showed stricter, though evolving in the glass, still has some fruit but riper, it’s fresh and elegant. The 2010 presents some evolution, keeping up with the smooth profile, now nearly with no fruit but with a dry touch and toasty notes, very involving in the mouth, with an intense acidity dominating a fine set.

Then it was time for Muros de Melgaço with its weird bottle but already a reference. The 2013 showed full of strength, notes of well-ripe tropical fruit, plenty of passion fruit, elegant, round in the mouth, with great volume, one of Anselmo Mendes’ great classics. The 2009 shows great evolution, some freshness, complex yet very firm, surely will evolve a lot more, to our fine pleasure.

At last we tasted the top two tier Anselmo Mendes’ Alvarinhos. First, the Curtimenta 2013 and 2012. The 2013 is powerful, still with lots of fruit, tropical notes but an intense minerality and much freshness. In the mouth it is remarkable, the nearly salted minerality exhales the granitic terrains fully, it’s fresh, with an intense acidity and an immense ending. The 2012 is quite similar to the previous one but more elegant, sustaining the volume in the mouth, intense, mineral but slightly silkier, revealing that the evolution through time will be fascinating.

And we ended this fantastic tasting with two Parcela Única: 2013 and 2012. Which one of them the best?! The 2013 still young, the tropical fruit very elegant, silky, full of exquisiteness in the nose, almost a perfume. In the mouth it is entangling, showing very balanced between the freshness, fruit and acidity, the whole is dominated by a growing minerality, needs some time in the glass and cannot be served too fresh. An ending quite elegant and long, very long. Comparing to the 2013, the 2012 has a similar profile but even more elegant, the fruit is softer, the perfume more entangling, very complex, a fantastic wine.

We left Melgaço with the certainty that soon some more excellent wines will be available in the market. In September we’ll be there for the vintage

Contacts
Zona Industrial de Penso, Lote 2
4960-310 Melgaço · Portugal
Tel/Fax: (+351) 227 128 541
E-mail: anselmo.mendes@netcabo.pt
Site: www.anselmomendes.pt