“Cru” means raw in Portugueseand this wine delivers exactly that: an unadulterated expression of Vinho Verde’s granitic terroir. From vines planted in 1989 on the granite soils of Paderne, Melgao, at 50-150 meters elevation, the Alvarinho was native fermented and aged 12 months on lees in large oak vats with no added sulfur. Strikingly mineral, with the stark singularity of soil-driven wine that transcends typical Vinho Verde lightness into something profound and age-worthy.