Stony lemon fruit on the nose, very dry and tangy, piercing mineral freshness. Salty finish, mouth-watering and persistent. 17 points

The 2017 Alvarinho `Granit` is the relatively new label here. The wine comes in at 13% alcohol from vines at 400 meters in altitude on granitic soil, said Luis Cerdeira, thus `revealing the minerality that relates the soil.` As compared to the regular unoaked Alvarinho and as a result of Granit`s terroir, Luis said it has `more freshness, also we ferment with natural yeast at 22 degrees Celsius to have a different aromatic equilibrium on the wine.` Plus, he said, Granit is drier, with more acidity. The regular Alvarinho, by contrast, is at 200 meters, `with more fertile soil and more aromatic precursors. We ferment between 16 and 18 to reveal more intensity in the flavors.` This was in bottle for about 90 days when tasted—young but in very good shape. With that edge of stones that the winery calls `minerality,` this is a focused and complex Alvarinho, not quite as dense or as rich as the regular bottling—the terroir difference will guarantee that to be true every year, I suspect—but definitely different and very intriguing. That said, as it aired and warmed, and particularly on the second day tasted, the so-called minerality declined a bit and the bit of green that I sometimes see emerged a bit. That brought it closer to the regular Alvarinho, just not as deep. On paper, this may have the lead in acidity and dryness, but the regular Alvarinho is never a slouch there, either, although it is perceptibly fruitier. This Granit has admirable tension on the finish, is nicely done and will age well. Reasonable minds might differ, but I`d still give the nod to the regular (and slightly less expensive) Alvarinho this issue. Sourced from 25-year-old vines, there were 20,000 bottles produced. 91 points