Gouveio by Joaninha 2021

The 2021 Gouveio (by Joaninha) is unoaked, very dry and comes in at 12.7% alcohol. This is the first time this is made with all indigenous yeasts. This is always one of my favorites from the winery, more fruit forward and certainly easier to understand than most of the upper-level whites. It has the personality to add a little spice, plus it's gloriously fresh this year and has reasonable concentration for its style too. It's precise and lingers nicely on the finish. This can age, but as Joana notes, their monovarietal whites probably should be drunk in the first few years to preserve freshness and fruit. It is a good reminder that there isn't always a reward for extended aging. Still, I would like to see what happens with this at the end of the decade. Personally, I would take this well-priced white over some of the very pricey and small-production lines here. There were 26,000 bottles produced.