The 2010 Alvarinho “Primeiras Vinhas” is grassy and fresh and quite exuberant. Aged in 15% old oak, it maintains its vibrancy perfectly and seems to be a notable step up on the regular 2010, with fewer questions and the promise of graceful evolution in the bottle. Aromatic and invigorating, it should come around well. Drink now-2019. Soalheiro does export to the USA, but only some of its labels. The Reserva, for instance. is not exported. These were tasted only in Portugal with winemaker Luis Cerdeira. Unlike most wineries in the region, Soalheiro is known for making things that age a long, long while. Still, while I allow for that in the drinking windows, travel issues and variations resulting therefrom make me remain at least a little conservative in drinking windows.Importer: Aidil Wines & Liquors, a division of Olde World Imports, Inc., Rahway, NJ; tel. (973) 642-0044

The 2009 Alvarinho “Primeiras Vinhas” is the winery’s bottling from its oldest vines, going back to the 1970s. With a bit more concentration than the regular Alvarinho, plus 15% old oak, this remains fresh, seeming amazingly young and vibrant, while showing more solidity and depth. It has some of the same finesse and subtle persistence. This is one of those wines, combining elegance and solidity, that will keep you asking for more. Drink now-2019. Soalheiro does export to the USA, but only some of its labels. The Reserva, for instance. is not exported. These were tasted only in Portugal with winemaker Luis Cerdeira. Unlike most wineries in the region, Soalheiro is known for making things that age a long, long while. Still, while I allow for that in the drinking windows, travel issues and variations resulting therefrom make me remain at least a little conservative in drinking windows.Importer: Aidil Wines & Liquors, a division of Olde World Imports, Inc., Rahway, NJ; tel. (973) 642-0044

The 2008 ALVARINHO PRIMEIRAS VINHAS (1st Vines) references the winery’s first vines planted in 1974. Succulent and bright, this is going to be one of many powerful 2008s that show a lot of acidity. Marked by citrus, lemon and lees, it is piercing and pointed, likely to be another in this winery’s tradition of making ageworthy Vinho Verde. Despite their track record, and the fine structure here, I do feel some conservatism is in order in this region for best results. Not everything will show as well as it does at the winery. Drink now-2018. 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

Quinta de Soalheiro is an familiar name in the Vinho Verde region, having planted their first Alvarinho vines in 1974, and then in 1982 having produced the first Alvarinho wine in Melgaco, according to the winery. The 2006 ALVARINHO “PRIMEIRAS VINHAS” (SOALHEIRO) is a special bottling from those first 1974 vines (“primeiras vinhas”) and a joint venture with Dirk Niepoort. It is a lovely wine, graceful, precise and crisp, yet full of fruit. It has the ability to coat the mouth. It sneaks up on you, showing more substantial than it seems on first taste. It is another in the increasingly long line of impressive bottlings in this region. Drink now-2010.