Curtimenta 2016 - ANSELMO MENDES - DOC Vinho Verde

Présentation

Note de dégustation

Service

L'histoire de ce vin

C’est en 1987 qu’ Anselmo Mendes commence à cultiver le cépage alvarinho et en 1988, il produit son premier vin, Muros de Melgaço, un 100% alvarinho. Après 20 ans de travail, le domaine produit aujourd’hui 4 vins, 3 blancs avec les variétés alvarinho, loureiro, avesso et un rouge avec le cépage avarelhão. Les vins de cépage alvarinho et avarelhão proviennent de la vallée de Minho, le loureiro de la vallée de Lima et l’avesso de la vallée du Douro mais c’est l’alvarinho qui constitue le cépage phare du domaine et pour lequel Anselmo Mendes possède une affection particulière. Le domaine produit aussi des vins dans la Douro, le Dão, le Beira Interior et les Açores. Les alvarinhos sont fermentés en foudres et élaborés en vinification traditionnelle avec fermentation et macération sur peaux ce qui les différencie de la majeure partie des vins de la région. Le domaine s’approvisionne en raisins à la Quinta da Torre, un manoir du 14ème siècle qui possède un vignoble de 60 hectares à Monção sur des sols rocailleux d’origine alluvionnaire et des granites de textures différentes. La variété principale est l’alvarinho et le vignoble fait partie d’un écosystème diversifié au bord de la rivière Rio Gadanha, un affluent du fleuve Rio Minho.

Informations Techniques :
Appellation : DO Vinho Verde
Altitude : 100 - 200 m
Vignobles : Sous-région de Monçao & Melgaço
Climat Océanique : 1 600 mm de pluie par an
Irrigation : Non
Age des vignes : Plus de 14 ans
Densité de plantation : 3 000 Pieds / Ha
Rendements : 5 Tonnes / Ha
Sol : Alluvionnaire et granitique
Culture : Conventionnelle
Vinification : Vendanges manuelles, levures indigènes. Egrappage, macération sur peaux pendant 48h. Fermentation en barriques de 400l.
Elevage : 9 moins en barriques avec bâtonnage régulier. Plus 12 mois en bouteille. Vin collé et filtré.
Acidité : 6,9 g/l
Ph : 3,25
Sucre Résiduel : < 3 g/l
Production 5 000 Bouteilles

Récompenses :
94 / 100 R. Parker - Wine Advocate
"The 2016 Curtimenta is all Alvarinho aged for nine months in used French oak. It comes in at 13% alcohol. Sourced from 20+-year-old vines, this is made with fermentation on skins, resulting in more color and more tannins. The oak seems almost irrelevant here, as the structure of the wine and its concentration overwhelm and counter the wood. That's not to say there is no oak impact, but it is impeccably balanced. Then, as the winery suggests, it finishes with a bit of tannic pop. There is remarkable grip on the finish, good acidity and that tannic pop. The next day (when it seemed 50% better than on the first day tasted), this was tight, focused and intense, perhaps the best Curtimenta yet. It's very fresh, the fruit lifted and focused, despite the wood, and it is the acidity that seals the deal for this wine. It simply slices and dices the wood into splinters after it's open for a day. In 2015, its high-end sibling Parcela Única was the bigger star, if only by a bit. This year, it's pretty even, but the styles are radically different. This has greater purity and intensity, while its sibling has a lusher, richer feel. Curtimenta handles the wood far better (it usually does when young, and it receives less aggressive wood treatment), at least now. Whenever I thought the wood was becoming assertive, the acidity and fruit came right back up. The Parcela Única may be even deeper and more like a white Burgundy than a Vinho Verde. Choices, choices. Buy both! In time, the balance of both may change for the better as they pull in the wood even more. That's not as important with the Curtimenta, given less wood impact, but even the Curtimenta could benefit from a year in the cellar. Needless to say, they should age rather well (although Parcela Única edged into the lead on the third day after opening, making me doubt again which was better). It's a very different vision of Vinho Verde, showing what the region can do when its top producers perform at the top of their game."