Adega Viúva Gomes Branco Viticultores 2023

Adega Viúva Gomes Colares was founded in 1808. Colares is a demarcated wine region defined in 1908. Viúva Gomes is one of the last remaining classic producers in Colares, Portugal’s most idiosyncratic region. An area of cliffs, bathed on one side by the Atlantic Ocean, with vineyards planted directly on ocean sands, Colares is unique in the world. These are some of the only vines in Europe that escaped the phylloxera epidemic of the 19th century. Colares wines are prized by collectors seeking a vinous window into the true nature of uncorrupted and undiluted old world wines. Due to its specific terroir, Viúva Gomes wines have a vibrant character. Dominated by sea storms and the southern influence of the Sintra hillside, it is a temperate region, and produces fresh and salty wines, with a lighter structure and high acidity.   

From Colares in Lisboa — a blend of 80% Malvasia de Colares, 10% Fernão Pires and 10% Arinto, matured in chestnut and mahogany casks, a distinctive choice that gives the wine an extra layer of character.

For anyone who loves a dry, saline white, this one ticks every box. Expect wafts of smoke and spice, briny sea air, green mango and preserved lemon, green olives and pine nuts, rounded out by a herbal, piney lift. On the palate it's tight and energetic — think salted crackers and white anchovies, a flinty, chalky texture, and a verjuice-like edge that keeps things taut. The finish runs long, evoking sun-dried linen fresh off a coastal washing line.