Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Loureiro is dry and has 6.5 grams of total acidity and 3.5 grams of residual sugar. There is no fizz and it comes in at 12% alcohol. A fairly concentrated Loureiro at a very nice price, this still manages to preserve the freshness you hope to see. Despite the apparent concentration relative to the grape and the region, it seems transparent and lively. It has a bright demeanor, lifted fruit and a hint of tartness. The finish is long and crisp. I'm wondering if, perhaps, this is the best I've yet seen in this brand. It's certainly a super value. How well it ages may be a different issue, but it should hold decently for a few years, although not necessarily always at peak.
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.