Review: 2021 Herdade Aldeia de Cima Myndru

You will find Herdade Aldeia de Cima in Portugal’s Alentejo region, surrounded by cork forests. Here the operation farms only indigenous grapes and makes wines like Myndru, which is composed of 50% Alfrocheiro, 30% Tinta Grossa, and 20% Baga grown on “poor and skeletal soil.” 70% of batch is aged for 14 months in 1000-liter cocciopesto amphorae; the other 30% spends 6 months in more typical 150-liter terracotta tinajas.

Thoughts on the 2021 vintage follow.

Tart cherry notes dominate the nose of this wine, veering into cranberry as it develops in the glass. Fragrant notes of bay leaf add an herbaceous quality, though a clearer tomato leaf element soon adds a distinctly vegetal element. Florals weave in and out of the experience here, as do notes of turned earth and a light touch of anise. This is a surprisingly complex wine, though given its composition that may not come off as surprising, its finish returning to that tart cranberry character, with complementary layers of gravelly earth lingering.

B+ / $79

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