The 2000 BRANCO was probably my slight favorite of the older wines presented. Lovely, in absolutely perfect shape, it is a wine that will shock many who have only a passing familiarity with the region. Gentle and bright, with all the parts in balance, it is continues to delight as it airs out and warms up. Drink now-2017. While I would certainly argue that the wines tended to show better as a group and the scores started to rise with a little less age, there cannot be any question that some of the older wines were a lot more than curiosities and simply shattered regional stereotypes. Despite evidence of long drinking windows, I am still going to be a little stingy on the drinking windows of the new releases, though. Wines on the fragile side have a way of showing well at the winery but not surviving travel well. The vertical written up below was presented at the winery in the Summer of 2009. Quinta de Soalheiro is a familiar name in the Vinho Verde region, having planted its first Alvarinho vines in 1974, from which in 1982 it produced the first Alvarinho wine in Melgaco, according to the winery. They are particularly known for their ageworthy Vinho Verde—to many, a fantastic premise. Yet, the winery, only somewhat in jest, jokes that they guarantee five years. Five years in a good vintage here isn’t even an issue. To be sure, other wineries in the region have made some wines that have aged quite well. It is not as if everything falls apart in 12 months. Yet, it is hard to match this vertical in terms of ageworthiness—it is hard even to talk about it without the listener raising an eyebrow.Importer: Aidil Wines & Liquors, a division of Olde World Imports, Inc., Rahway, NJ; tel. (973) 642-0044