Description
Soalheiro is the name that put Melgaço Alvarinho on the map, and Primeiras Vinhas is where it all started. The core of this wine comes from the family's very first vines, planted in 1974 by João António Cerdeira in Portugal's far north, right up against the Spanish border.
These days the original plot is joined by old-vine parcels from Monção and Melgaço, tended by the growers in Soalheiro's Viticulturists Club. It's as much about keeping those old vines in the ground as it is about making a great wine. Mountains shelter the area from the Atlantic, so you get enough sun to ripen Alvarinho properly without losing the bright, salty edge.
The 2024 was hand-picked, gently whole-bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeasts, mostly in steel. Around 15% went into old barrels, a foudre and a big cask for texture. No malolactic, and plenty of time on lees with stirring. The result is crisp and taut: green apple and pear, a fresh fern note, a chalky dry finish and real salinity. Grilled sardines, prawns off the barbie or a plate of salt cod fritters would all suit it.
It's lovely now, but this is Alvarinho with the stuffing to age, and the producer reckons 8 to 15 years. Old vines, a serious pedigree and a big hit of refreshment - a benchmark here for the grape.
94 points
"This dials up the salinity, the tension, the mouth-watering freshness and rapier-like thrust of flavour... Fabulous wine, ultra refreshment factor."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
94 points
"I love the purity and crystalline character of this cuvée... It should develop nicely in bottle."
- Luis Gutiérrez (The Wine Advocate)
Soalheiro
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Common Questions
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Most wine retailers list at a single-bottle price and then discount 10–15% when you buy six or twelve. We've taken the opposite approach. Since the overwhelming majority of our orders are already 6 bottles or more, our list price is set for the case buyer from the start. There's no inflated single-bottle price to discount down from.
What that means for you:
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