An Alvarinho from the lower altitudes, deep and elegant
Soalheiro : : Wine
Soalheiro Cota 27 2022
Cota 27 is an Alvarinho born in the lower levels of the Monção and Melgaço valley, in small plots of vineyards on the left bank of the Minho River, where the soils are richer in clay. Our interest in the minerality characteristic of Alvarinho from the mountains inspired us to look for its opposite by the river, a profile we explored at the Innovation Cellar.
Region: Melgaço e Monção, Vinho Verde DOC
Alcohol (%): 12
Total Acidity (g/dm3): 5,6
Residual Sugar: Dry
Grape Varieties: Alvarinho
pH: 3,52
Volatile Acidity (g/dm3): 0,68
(The values are approximate)
This is a very gastronomic wine, ideal to enjoy with a meal. From grilled langoustines, seafood rice, fish rice or oven-baked fish to oriental cuisine.
It has an intense straw yellow colour with golden reflections, it is clean and bright. On the nose, it combines aromas of riper fruit, such as apple, plum and lemon peel, with floral notes of acacia and elderflower. In the background, the mineral character, with a soft touch of smoke, gives it great depth and elegance. On the palate, the wine is unctuous and has wide structure. It's elegant and complex. With volume and freshness in perfect balance, it has a long and persistent finish. The acidity is balanced and integrated, giving it a friendly and subtle character.
Monção and Melgaço, the northernmost territory of Portugal, is protected by mountains that form a unique microclimate. This allows a perfect marriage between rainfall, temperature, and the number of hours of sunshine needed for the best maturation of Alvarinho grapes. The goal of reflecting the diversity of the territory in wines, of exploring to the limit the elasticity of Alvarinho in the territory of origin, results in a continuous search for differentiated profiles within the territory. Cota 27 was born out of the curiosity sparked when monitoring the ripening of vineyards near the Minho River, where the soils are richer in clay - the distinctive flavour of the grapes led us to want to understand why this difference existed and how we could reflect it in a wine.
The grapes are harvested by hand. After pressing and before fermentation, the must is clarified at a low temperature. We start with a selection of Alvarinho grapes from plots next to the Minho River, in the lower levels of the Monção and Melgaço valley. This wine starts fermenting in a french oak foudre and finishes in used 225-litre french oak barrels and in a stainless steel egg. In the egg there is a natural bâtonnage and in the barrels it undergoes bâtonnage for 9 months on the finest lees. It ages for 6 months in the bottle.
