Winemaker Notes
High aromatic intensity with a variety of floral notes, aromas of citrus fruits such as lemon and lime. Long and intense aftertaste, with a marked freshness and minerality.
Pairs perfectly with grilled fish, vegetarian food, seafood pasta and salad dishes or it can be simply be served as an aperitif.
Blend: 85% Loureiro, 15% Alvarinho
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Loureiro Barão Hospital in fact also has 20% Alvarinho blended in, all unoaked and coming with 4.2 grams of residual sugar, 6.9 of total acidity and 12.2% alcohol. A solid Loureiro blend, this is reasonably crisp but deep and lingering on the finish. Just a bit tense, it is also filled with flavor and sure tastes great without sacrificing too much in structure, although power is not its strongest suit. This is a nice success. It is likely that it will age reasonably well, noting that I have no track record with this. I'll be a bit conservative in drinking windows but lean up on the score for the moment. It does have something to prove. In the meanwhile, it certainly seems like a lovely bargain.
Dating back to the late 18th century, Loureiro is native to Iberian Peninsula, grown mostly within the Minho region, though has flourished currently into neighboring Galicia. It produces a dry, high-toned, crisp white wine, redolent with aromas of white flowers and bay leaves. The grape is essential to the production of Portugeuse Vinho Verde and white blends of the Spanish region Rias Baixas. Somm Secret—The word Loureiro means “laurel” in Portugeuse, conveying the wine’s bay leaf aromatics.
A cheerful, translucid, lemon-yellow and slightly pétillant white wine, Vinho Verde literally means ‘green wine’ and is named after the northwest Portugese region from which it originates. The ‘green’ in the name refers to the youthful state in which the wines are customarily released and consumed, not the color of the wine.
It is typically a blend of various percentages of Alvarinho, Loureiro, Trajadura, and Pedernã (Arinto). Following initial alcoholic fermentation, a natural, secondary malolactic conversion in cask produces carbon dioxide, giving Vinho Verde its charmingly light sparkle.