Description

Production

Year – 2018

Grapes – a field blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca (expressing exceptionally this year!), Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Pomar, Tinta da Barca, Mourisco, Tinta Amarela, Rufete and Malvazia Preta from our estate’s 40+ year old vines. 

Terroir – schist soil, Mediterranean climate (low yearly rainfall and dry, hot summers), grade A classified vineyards. 

Winemaking – hand-picked, estate-grown grapes undergo pre-fermentation line-up maceration with foot-treading in traditional lagares for 3 days followed by 3 days of temperature-controlled fermentation to more slowly extract the grapes’ soft tannins, complex aromas, and rich colors. This L.B.V. is then aged for 4 years in neutral, French oak, 5000 liter (1,320 gallon) puncheons before blending in 2019. 

Annual Production – 6,500 bottles

Alcohol – 19.5%

Tasting

See –  dark ruby verging on purple.

Smell – ripe blackberry, blueberry and wild strawberry with a tinge of some cool mint and wet shale. 

Sip – rich, dark red and black fruits with spice and cool minerality; generous, complex and concentrated with a firm texture and good weight; alcohol, sugar, and body in harmony; a long and precise finish.

Enjoy – now or within 8 years, cool (15°C/60°F), decanted (so that unfiltered sediment, which is actually full of healthy antioxidants, but not a pleasant experience to drink), by itself, with strong cheeses or not-too-sweet dark chocolate desserts, or try something new and pair with a bloody steak or duck magret.