Anselmo Mendes, aka ‘Mr Alvarinho’, is one of the greatest proponents of Portugal’s Vinho Verde region. His Muros Antigos range offers a trio of crisp, pure-fruited, flavourful wines that are perfect for summer. Load up – these are ‘underappreciated bargains that we should all be drinking a lot more of,’ writes Emily Percival of JancisRobinson.com.
The Muros Antigos Alvarinho 2022 overdelivers on rich yellow fruit and structure. Whilst similar, the Loureiro 2022 boasts beautiful white citrus and orchard fruit, floral notes, and minerality. The Escholha 2022 is a blend of 40% Loureiro, 40% Avesso and 20% Alvarinho – and it’s smashingly good value at R170. If you’re searching for the ultimate seafood partners, look no further.
The Muros Antigos (‘Ancient Walls’) range allows you to explore different terroirs and varieties from a relatively neutral, hands-off winemaking perspective. If Alvarinho is the most crisp and citric, Loureiro is more textural and aromatic. The lesser-known Avesso grape produces wines with a bit more structure, making it a compelling blending partner.
Ever innovative, Anselmo Mendes has been using skin contact, large vessels, spontaneous fermentation, lees ageing and old vines since the 1990s. View all of the wines here, including their incredible single-vineyard cuvées, which capture the terroir diversity of the Monção e Melgaço region.
Tasting Notes:
Anselmo Mendes Muros Antigos Alvarinho 2022
‘Anselmo Mendes, a master of Alvarinho, shows the ripeness of the variety. Its creamy texture balances with the intense vibrant acidity and apple and citrus fruits. Drink this fine wine from 2024.’ – Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, 92/100
‘Invitingly ripe citrus aroma, both lemon and lime as well as a hint of preserved green figs. Lightly herbal and tart apricot, too. In the mouth this has a wonderful combination of crisp acidity and intense citrus fruit flavour laced with herbs. Bone dry but so full of pure zesty fruit. There’s just a light grip to the texture on the sour-fresh finish, probably from the time on the lees. One of the most consistently good Alvarinhos on the market. So much presence for a wine of just 12.5% abv.’ – Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, 16.5/20
Anselmo Mendes Muros Antigos Loureiro 2022
‘The 2022 Loureiro Muros Antigos comes in dry and at 12.7% alcohol. A step up on the Loureiro Pássaros in this report, which seems deeper, but this is crisper with more lift to the fruit. It seems more expressive as well, but at the same time more tightly wound. I can see some liking the Pássaros more, but the nervier presentation here seems to speak to the essence of Vinho Verde. This might be just as deep, but it feels silkier and more energetic due to the acidity. This should age well and probably better than the Pássaros, but we’ll see. Its lively demeanor is impressive. Like many of the young 2022s here, it could benefit from some extra bottle time to become more expressive.’ – Mark Squires, Wine Advocate, 90/100
Anselmo Mendes Muros Antigos Escolha 2022
‘The 2022 Muros Antigos Escolha is a blend of 40% Loureiro, 40% Avesso and 20% Alvarinho, unoaked and coming in at 11.9% alcohol. This is a fresh and lively blend that shows great in its youth. It lacks the prestige of some of the other offerings in this report, but that also means you can get a lot for a little. (It’s an even better value in Portugal.) It’s perky and relatively expressive, and it has the acidic backbone to allow it to age a reasonable time. I wouldn’t hold it too long, though, even with the winery’s good reputation for aging, as its exuberance is a major part of its appeal today. This will likely be at its best when very young. It drinks great now.’ – Mark Squires, Wine Advocate
