Anselmo Mendes Pardusco 2023

This is the Vinho Verde you did not expect to stumble upon. You already know the drill with Vinho Verde. Zippy, seaside whites, the ones you crush on patios and forget by morning. This is not that!

Anselmo Mendes is kind of a big deal in the Minho Valley. And this is his red Vinho Verde, which is already a sentence that should make you curious. It's called Pardusco, which is what they called the first reds from Monção back when they were shipping them to England in the 1300s. This is a modern version, a wild blend of grapes you've probably never heard of. Alvarelhão, Pedral, Borraçal, Vinhão. 

It tastes like bitter amarena cherries, freshly cracked black pepper, and something graphitic and mineral underneath. Supple, accessible, dangerously easy. One of our favourites, easy-drinking, and so fun.