Posts Categorized : Interviews

A Taste of Alentejo at London’s New Portal to Portugal

Text Sarah Ahmed

It was a thrill to present a tasting on behalf of the Alentejo Wine Commission at one of London’s hottest new restaurants, Taberna do Mercado.  And even more exciting that, not only is its chef/patron Portuguese, so is the food and wine. Which may sound a strange thing to say but, thus far, Nuno Mendes’ renown has rested on the eclectic, highly innovative dishes of his previous restaurant, Michelin-starred Viajante, now his American accented menu at celeb hang out Chiltern Firehouse (where he is Head Chef).

Blend-All-About-Wine-Taberna-do-Mercado-Tasting-Nuno-Mendes

Nuno Mendes – Photo by Charmaine Grieger | All Rights Reserved

In an interview with Mendes a couple of years ago, he let slip about his plans to open “a very casual, fun, modern but rustic Portuguese restaurant in London.” But there was a problem.  He explained, despite Portugal’s “wealth of amazing unique products,” it was hard to source them,  Why?  He said because, “production is very limited in quantity and second very few artisan producers see the potential outside the local market to expand their project.”

Fully expecting him to have overcome these challenges, I asked him what had changed since we last spoke. Mendes asked, “did I want the nice answer or the true answer?”  Naturally, I said the truth!  Admitting “it makes me sad,” Mendes remains palpably frustrated that, in the UK, sourcing the very best Portuguese products of which he can be “super-proud” has still proved elusive. He observed, UK-based Portuguese-owned importers are “mostly used to supplying the local ex-pat community” (as opposed to high-end restaurants with demanding ‘foodie’ customers).  It reminds me of a point he made when we first met and emphasised how important it was in his field “to be aware of what’s happening in the food and wine world and to find a way to fit it in other people’s realities.” It’s why, he adds, “I had to walk away” from Portugal when he opened Viajante – the range of products did not fit with his Michelin-starred reality. It was “not amazing,” nor could he count on consistency of supply.

Blend-All-About-Wine-Taberna-do-Mercado-Tasting

Taberna do Mercado – Photo by Charmaine Grieger | All Rights Reserved

The good news?  Where he sees Taberna do Mercado as “the portal to tap into Portugal’s great resources,” he tells me “I’m not giving up.”   He may be softly spoken and modest of demeanour, but there’s a steely determination in Mendes’ eyes when he reveals his solution. Pointing out “I have many more connections than the importers based here,” (not to mention a Michelin-starred chef’s fastidiousness about sourcing the very best), he plans to set up his own export/import business. After all, his reputation depends on it. And the stakes are high where, given supply issues, he believes it’s premature for Portuguese food to be touted as the next big thing as The Daily Telegraph recently suggested. It is why he asserts, “now is where the research comes in…we can’t relax, we have to push ourselves and bring in the best…we have to evolve”. There is no room for complacency.

Shortly after the tasting, I paused to reflect on Mendes’ comments in relation to Portuguese wine when a journalist asked me why it has yet to really hit the big time. I am pleased to report that the UK has been rather better served by its wine importers, especially Portuguese specialists Raymond Reynolds and Oakley Wine Agencies who have helped their producer clients navigate the highly competitive UK market with aplomb. But if, like Mendes, I am to be Portugal’s critical friend, the truth is that far too many Portuguese producers have yet to find a way to fit into the realities of the UK market, which is widely acknowledged as the most competitive in the world. What’s more, ‘cellar palate’ (becoming too habituated to your own wines, including flaws) can be a problem. It’s why the most successful Portuguese winemakers themselves keep visiting the UK to understand where their wines best fit (and to benchmark them against the competition). It also helps to ensure that they are still seen and heard in our crowded, noisy marketplace.

Happily, all eight producers whose wines I showed in my master-classes at Taberna do Mercado are represented in the UK. But there is still work to be done where Alentejo has forged it reputation in the UK on a bedrock of great value, fruity, approachable reds.  The next step is to raise the profile and appreciation of its premium, terroir-driven red and white wines among fine wine lovers (white wines now represent around 20% of wines from Alentejo). It was a challenge to which I gladly rose.

Blend-All-About-Wine-Taberna-do-Mercado-Tasting-Nuno-Mendes-Sarah-Ahmed Alentejo

Me and Nuno Mendes talk Alentejo wine & food – Photo by Charmaine Grieger | All Rights Reserved

My selection of wines was accompanied by Mendes’ contemporary take on petiscos (how’s that for fitting them into the realities of the UK market) and followed by an excellent tasting of Alentejo olive oils presented by Teresa Zacarias of Casa do Azeite. Here are my notes on the wines, together with some background on what individuates this diverse selection in terms of terroir and winemaking.  As you’ll see, the Alentejo is not as flat or unremittingly hot as regional stereo-types would have you believe. What’s more, all the grapes were hand-picked.

Herdade do Rocim Olho de Mocho Reserva Branco 2013 (VR Alentejano)

Terroir: this single varietal Antão Vaz comes from Vidigueira, one of Alentejo’s eight DOC sub-regions.  Despite being the southernmost, it has a long tradition of producing white wines. Why?  It’s all to do with the lie of the land, specifically, the Vidigueira fault, a 50km west-facing escarpment known as the Serra do Mendro which marks the border between the Upper and Lower Alentejo.  Rising to 420m it traps cool and humid Atlantic winds which cool the region with overnight fogs.  Cold air also descends from the Serra do Mendro at night.  What’s more, when southern winds bring clouds, the escarpment causes a cloudburst (rainfall). For winemaker Catarina Vieira, this is what accounts for Vidigueira’s “very mineral, elegant and fresh wines that can age very well.” She believes that the sandy soils also enhance the minerality of her Antão Vaz, which is sourced from her best, dry grown, low cropping 24 year old vines.

Winemaking: Hand-picked early (on 3rd & 4th September) to preserve freshness (no acidification is required), the wine fermented in new 300 litre French oak barrels for around 20 days.  It was then taken off lees and aged in barrel for five months. Meanwhile, the fine lees were aged for two months in second use barrels with daily batonnage for a month or so, then added back to the wine.  For Vieira, this work with the fine lees is very important for the minerality, freshness and for the aging potential of this wine.”

Tasting note: thanks to the work with the lees it exhibits struck match/flinty notes to nose and lemony palate, with hints of green olive, under-ripe pineapple and dried pear as it opens up. A long, firm, mineral finish with racy, grapefruity acidity sustained my sample bottle of this wine well into day three. 13.5%

Blend-All-About-Wine-Taberna-do-Mercado-Tasting-House-Canned-Fish

House-canned fish Nuno Mendes style – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

Cartuxa Pêra Manca Branco 2012 (DOC Alentejo)

Terroir: this blend of 62% Antão Vaz and 38% Arinto comes from Évora, another DOC sub-region, this time in the Alto/upper Alentejo.  The fruit was sourced from three parcels of Cartuxa’s oldest vineyards on slopes which rise to 300 metres above sea level. Planted in 1980 on brown granitic soils, the vines were dry grown.

Winemaking: for this fuller-bodied, more traditionally-styled white, the fruit was hand-picked later and in three stages for complexity (12, 18 & 19 September). Following de-stemming and crushing, a portion of the grapes was left in contact with the skins prior to fermentation.  Sixty-seven percent of the wine was fermented and aged on the lees for 12 months in French oak barrels (60% new) with batonnage for body, complexity and ageing potential. The balance was aged in stainless steel (to enhance fruitiness) with lots of batonnage (for body).  There was no acidification.

Tasting note: a rich, beeswaxy nose with stone fruits, especially apricot close to the kernel, which notes follow through on a palate with a pronounced nuttiness (fresh marzipan/calisson) and vanillin oak. Though weighty, a ripe but zesty backbone of citrus acidity brings balance and teases out a long, leesy, savoury finish with lemon and orange peel nuances. A powerful wine, which often puts me in mind of an Hermitage from the Northern Rhône, France.  13.5%

Monte da Ravasqueira MR Premium Rosé 2013(VR Alentejano)

Terroir: this rosé made from 100% Touriga Nacional is from Arraiolos in the Évora district of Alto Alentejo.  For winemaker Pedro Pereira, the key to the freshness of Monte da Ravasqueira’s range lies in the estate’s very pronounced diurnal temperature variation.  Even in the hottest months of July and August when temperatures might hit 40 degrees centigrade, at night the temperature can fall below 10 degrees. Cool nights help the grapes to retain acidity better; it’s good for aromatics and structure too. Gonçalves attributes this strong diurnal to the amphitheatre-like topography of the vineyard (all 45 hectares are planted on slopes rising to 270m), together with the surrounding forest and dams. Though supplemental irrigation is required, clay-limestone soils have good moisture retention while granite outcrops seem to enhance minerality/freshness, as in the Dão.

Winemaking: where Gonçalves’ style revolves around “freshness + complexity (a matrix of flavours) + varietal character + intensity + concentration,” he sourced fruit from five different parcels (by row orientation-exposure, soil type and canopy management) and hand-harvested the grapes on different days, ranging from 8 September to 27 September. The grapes were kept in refrigerated containers between two to 20 days at two degrees for concentration and to enhance aromatic potential and fruit. Two parcels were pressed directly to new French oak barrels and naturally fermented with batonnage on full solids.  The other three were first settled and inoculated with yeast prior to transfer to new French oak barrels on the second day of fermentation. All five parcels were aged in barrel on the lees for six months with light batonnage for the first 2 months.

Tasting note: Touriga Nacional seems to lend itself well to rosé wines and this is an unusual example, savoury yet fruity, round, yet fresh. It’s thoroughly delicious with savoury, creamy lees, delicate wild strawberries, strawberry shortbread and refreshing peach tea. Mineral acidity brings freshness and persistence to its lingering finish.  13%

Susana Esteban Aventura Tinto 2013 (VR Alentejano)

Terroir: this, my first red, is from the Alto/Upper Alentejo but is a blend of DOC sub-regions.  Esteban sources the Aragonês and Touriga Nacional (40% and 20% of the blend respectively) from a dry grown 15 year old vineyard in Évora at 300m on clay/limestone soils. The balance is a mix of varieties from a dry grown 30 year old field blend vineyard in Portalegre, the Alto Alentejo’s northernmost sub-region. It’s not just the northerly location which accounts for Portalegre being Alentejo’s coolest, wettest area. The Serra de São Mamede mountain – at over 1000m, the highest point in southern Portugal – provides serious elevation (up to 800m) and poor granitic soils. Where Esteban’s aim is “to make a fresh wine, with character but appealing at the same time,” she looks to Portalegre for freshness and austerity, while Évora provides the heat which the winemaker believes Touriga Nacional and Aragones need to show their potential (though she emphasises “I have attention to pick with only 13 or 13% alcohol).

Winemaking: the grapes are hand-picked and naturally fermented (with no acidification) in small stainless steel temperature controlled lagares. I very much like the fact that Esteban has put the emphasis squarely on the fruit and freshness – this wine is unoaked.

Tasting note: wonderful vibrancy and texture (think crushed velvet) to its pure, freshly picked and puréed (so it feels) fruits of the forest. Smooth tannins and sappy acidity reinforce the charming immediacy of this youthful red. Lovely.  13.5%

Blend-All-About-Wine-Taberna-do-Mercado-Tasting-Casa-do-Porco-Preto

Casa do Porco Preto, Alentejo at Taberna do Mercado – Photo by Charmaine Grieger | All Rights Reserved

Herdade de São  Miguel Reserva 2012 (VR Alentejano)

Terroir: Herdade de São  Miguel is located in the Redondo sub-region (a DOC) of the Alto/Upper Alentejo. For Alexandre Relvas junior the Serra d’Ossa hills (which rise to 650 metres) shelter Redondo’s vineyards from northerly and easterly winds and furnish cold, dry winters to offset the hot, sun-drenched summers.  His vineyard is located at 400m on low yielding clay/schist soils which produce concentrated, small berries. This wine is a blend of 80% Alicante Bouschet, 15% Aragonez and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from 13 year old vines.

Winemaking: hand harvested fruit is totally de-stemmed and undergoes a 48 hour cold soak prior to fermentation in open stainless steel lagares with automatic pigeurs for softer extraction, a bit of natural oxidation too “to help fix colour and tannins from the beginning” says Relvas. It was aged for 12 months in 400 litre French oak barrels (50% new).

Tasting note: an intense nose of blackcurrant and bramble fruit with a touch of vanillin oak and dusty schist undertones, which follow through on a succulent palate with lovely freshness. Though only five percent of the blend, the Cabernet is quite evident in flavour profile (blackcurrant with a hint of mint) and fine, gravelly, mineral tannins. It does not have the concentration or complexity of the (more expensive) wines which followed, but it’s well balanced and persistent. Very well made, indeed wears its 15% abv lightly.

Quinta do Mouro Touriga Nacional 2010 (VR Alentejano)

Terroir: This single varietal Touriga Nacional is from Estremoz in the Borba sub-region (a DOC) of the Alto/Upper Alentejo.  It is north of Redondo and just north of the Serra d’Ossa, which offers a little protection from the warm south winds.  Where Quinta do Mouro is at 420m, elevation also tempers the climate, as do plunging night-time temperatures which, says winemaker Luis Louro, can be 20 degrees lower than in the day “especially at the later stages of maturation, and fogs are common.” Schist soils and dry-farmed vineyards also account for the very structured, ageworthy and characterful style of Mouro’s reds. Sourced from “a very good” Douro vineyard in 1998, the Touriga Nacional was grafted onto Castelão vines which had been planted in 1989.

Winemaking: hand-harvested fruit was partially de-stemmed, leaving around 10% whole bunch for a bit more structure and fresher flavours.  The grapes were foot-trodden in lagares and underwent a two day cold soak prior to starting fermentation. It finished fermenting in stainless steel tanks with temperature control and, after pressing, was aged for 12 months in new 300 litre French oak barrels.

Tasting note: a deep, opaque plum hue with an exotic bergamot perfume which provides lift to a concentrated raspberry and plum, vanillin-edged palate together with lively peppery whole bunch notes, dried sage and mint. Textured suede-like tannins cleave the flavours to the palate, amplifying its intensity and back palate resonance.  Powerful, a little wild even, yet balanced. A charismatic single varietal Touriga. 14%

João Portugal Ramos Marquês de Borba Reserva 2012 (DOC Alentejo)

Terroir: also from Estremoz, this blend of 30% Trincadeira, 30% Aragones, 25% Alicante Bouschet and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon comes from João Portugal Ramos’ original vineyard.  The vines, planted in 1989, are located around his house and have  been the source of this wine since it was first made in 1997. Located at 350m on very old schist

Winemaking: hand harvested grapes are picking grapes at night and early in the morning.  The grapes are partially de-stemmed (50% whole bunch) and start co-fermenting (naturally) in marble lagares with foot treading. For Ramos the advantages of the lagares include a higher area of contact between the liquid and the solid part of the must, gentle homogenisation of the must (because a thinner cap is formed compared to the normal tanks) and the aesthetics of the local marble (which, incidentally Mendes has used for his table tops at Taberna do Mercado). The final third of the fermentation is completed in stainless steel vats with the benefit of temperature control.  The post-ferment maceration usually lasts about two weeks. The wine is then matured for 18 months in French 225 litre oak barrels (two thirds of which are new).

Tasting note: a very polished red with tobacco and cigar box to nose and palate. Red fruits dominate the attack while the Cabernet becomes more assertive going through, bringing well-defined blackcurrant fruit and a spray coating of fine but plentiful powdery tannins which build in the mouth. Dry, firm, focused and very fine with excellent balancing freshness. The tightest of the reds, it has great ageing potential. 14.5%

Herdade do Mouchão 2010 (VR Alentejano)

Terroir: this blend of around 70% Alicante Bouschet and 30% Trincadeira comes from one of the region’s most established players, Herdade do Mouchão, which has belonged to the same family since 1874. Mouchão was the first vineyard to be planted to Alicante Bouschet and the current vines trace their genetic origin back to this original 19th century stock. Mouchão is in Sousel to the north of Borba in the Alto/Upper Alentejo.  The Alicante Bouschet is sourced from several parcels near the winery at around 230m and ranging between 10 and 30 years old. Located on a delta between two small rivers, the sandy topsoil is well-drained but the deep clay beneath retains the humidity which allows for a balanced maturation, freshness and good acidity. The hallmarks of Mouchão’s great ageing potential. The thinner skinned Trincadeira benefits from being planted on higher, well-drained ground at around 400m.

Winemaking: this most traditional of wines is hand picked and fermented in the old winery’s original stone lagares with 100% stems.  It is then aged in large old 5,000 litre toneis for two to three years. It spends a further two to three years in bottle before being released.

Tasting note: a very deep hue with a rich, very complex nose and palate – almost a meal in itself – but a balanced one.  Mouchão 2010 has savoury layers of mellow dried fig, black olive and incipient leather with inky floral, tobacco, berber whisky (stewed mint tea) and eucalyptus top notes.  Sturdy, spicy, grape-driven tannins build in the mouth, yet are very well integrated – not in the least aggressive.  A very long, involving finish has this estate’s warm earth, slightly bloody, ironstone tang. Terrific sense of place. 14%

A Taste of Alentejo at London's New Portal to Portugal

Text Sarah Ahmed

It was a thrill to present a tasting on behalf of the Alentejo Wine Commission at one of London’s hottest new restaurants, Taberna do Mercado.  And even more exciting that, not only is its chef/patron Portuguese, so is the food and wine. Which may sound a strange thing to say but, thus far, Nuno Mendes’ renown has rested on the eclectic, highly innovative dishes of his previous restaurant, Michelin-starred Viajante, now his American accented menu at celeb hang out Chiltern Firehouse (where he is Head Chef).

Blend-All-About-Wine-Taberna-do-Mercado-Tasting-Nuno-Mendes

Nuno Mendes – Photo by Charmaine Grieger | All Rights Reserved

In an interview with Mendes a couple of years ago, he let slip about his plans to open “a very casual, fun, modern but rustic Portuguese restaurant in London.” But there was a problem.  He explained, despite Portugal’s “wealth of amazing unique products,” it was hard to source them,  Why?  He said because, “production is very limited in quantity and second very few artisan producers see the potential outside the local market to expand their project.”

Fully expecting him to have overcome these challenges, I asked him what had changed since we last spoke. Mendes asked, “did I want the nice answer or the true answer?”  Naturally, I said the truth!  Admitting “it makes me sad,” Mendes remains palpably frustrated that, in the UK, sourcing the very best Portuguese products of which he can be “super-proud” has still proved elusive. He observed, UK-based Portuguese-owned importers are “mostly used to supplying the local ex-pat community” (as opposed to high-end restaurants with demanding ‘foodie’ customers).  It reminds me of a point he made when we first met and emphasised how important it was in his field “to be aware of what’s happening in the food and wine world and to find a way to fit it in other people’s realities.” It’s why, he adds, “I had to walk away” from Portugal when he opened Viajante – the range of products did not fit with his Michelin-starred reality. It was “not amazing,” nor could he count on consistency of supply.

Blend-All-About-Wine-Taberna-do-Mercado-Tasting

Taberna do Mercado – Photo by Charmaine Grieger | All Rights Reserved

The good news?  Where he sees Taberna do Mercado as “the portal to tap into Portugal’s great resources,” he tells me “I’m not giving up.”   He may be softly spoken and modest of demeanour, but there’s a steely determination in Mendes’ eyes when he reveals his solution. Pointing out “I have many more connections than the importers based here,” (not to mention a Michelin-starred chef’s fastidiousness about sourcing the very best), he plans to set up his own export/import business. After all, his reputation depends on it. And the stakes are high where, given supply issues, he believes it’s premature for Portuguese food to be touted as the next big thing as The Daily Telegraph recently suggested. It is why he asserts, “now is where the research comes in…we can’t relax, we have to push ourselves and bring in the best…we have to evolve”. There is no room for complacency.

Shortly after the tasting, I paused to reflect on Mendes’ comments in relation to Portuguese wine when a journalist asked me why it has yet to really hit the big time. I am pleased to report that the UK has been rather better served by its wine importers, especially Portuguese specialists Raymond Reynolds and Oakley Wine Agencies who have helped their producer clients navigate the highly competitive UK market with aplomb. But if, like Mendes, I am to be Portugal’s critical friend, the truth is that far too many Portuguese producers have yet to find a way to fit into the realities of the UK market, which is widely acknowledged as the most competitive in the world. What’s more, ‘cellar palate’ (becoming too habituated to your own wines, including flaws) can be a problem. It’s why the most successful Portuguese winemakers themselves keep visiting the UK to understand where their wines best fit (and to benchmark them against the competition). It also helps to ensure that they are still seen and heard in our crowded, noisy marketplace.

Happily, all eight producers whose wines I showed in my master-classes at Taberna do Mercado are represented in the UK. But there is still work to be done where Alentejo has forged it reputation in the UK on a bedrock of great value, fruity, approachable reds.  The next step is to raise the profile and appreciation of its premium, terroir-driven red and white wines among fine wine lovers (white wines now represent around 20% of wines from Alentejo). It was a challenge to which I gladly rose.

Blend-All-About-Wine-Taberna-do-Mercado-Tasting-Nuno-Mendes-Sarah-Ahmed Alentejo

Me and Nuno Mendes talk Alentejo wine & food – Photo by Charmaine Grieger | All Rights Reserved

My selection of wines was accompanied by Mendes’ contemporary take on petiscos (how’s that for fitting them into the realities of the UK market) and followed by an excellent tasting of Alentejo olive oils presented by Teresa Zacarias of Casa do Azeite. Here are my notes on the wines, together with some background on what individuates this diverse selection in terms of terroir and winemaking.  As you’ll see, the Alentejo is not as flat or unremittingly hot as regional stereo-types would have you believe. What’s more, all the grapes were hand-picked.

Herdade do Rocim Olho de Mocho Reserva Branco 2013 (VR Alentejano)

Terroir: this single varietal Antão Vaz comes from Vidigueira, one of Alentejo’s eight DOC sub-regions.  Despite being the southernmost, it has a long tradition of producing white wines. Why?  It’s all to do with the lie of the land, specifically, the Vidigueira fault, a 50km west-facing escarpment known as the Serra do Mendro which marks the border between the Upper and Lower Alentejo.  Rising to 420m it traps cool and humid Atlantic winds which cool the region with overnight fogs.  Cold air also descends from the Serra do Mendro at night.  What’s more, when southern winds bring clouds, the escarpment causes a cloudburst (rainfall). For winemaker Catarina Vieira, this is what accounts for Vidigueira’s “very mineral, elegant and fresh wines that can age very well.” She believes that the sandy soils also enhance the minerality of her Antão Vaz, which is sourced from her best, dry grown, low cropping 24 year old vines.

Winemaking: Hand-picked early (on 3rd & 4th September) to preserve freshness (no acidification is required), the wine fermented in new 300 litre French oak barrels for around 20 days.  It was then taken off lees and aged in barrel for five months. Meanwhile, the fine lees were aged for two months in second use barrels with daily batonnage for a month or so, then added back to the wine.  For Vieira, this work with the fine lees is very important for the minerality, freshness and for the aging potential of this wine.”

Tasting note: thanks to the work with the lees it exhibits struck match/flinty notes to nose and lemony palate, with hints of green olive, under-ripe pineapple and dried pear as it opens up. A long, firm, mineral finish with racy, grapefruity acidity sustained my sample bottle of this wine well into day three. 13.5%

Blend-All-About-Wine-Taberna-do-Mercado-Tasting-House-Canned-Fish

House-canned fish Nuno Mendes style – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

Cartuxa Pêra Manca Branco 2012 (DOC Alentejo)

Terroir: this blend of 62% Antão Vaz and 38% Arinto comes from Évora, another DOC sub-region, this time in the Alto/upper Alentejo.  The fruit was sourced from three parcels of Cartuxa’s oldest vineyards on slopes which rise to 300 metres above sea level. Planted in 1980 on brown granitic soils, the vines were dry grown.

Winemaking: for this fuller-bodied, more traditionally-styled white, the fruit was hand-picked later and in three stages for complexity (12, 18 & 19 September). Following de-stemming and crushing, a portion of the grapes was left in contact with the skins prior to fermentation.  Sixty-seven percent of the wine was fermented and aged on the lees for 12 months in French oak barrels (60% new) with batonnage for body, complexity and ageing potential. The balance was aged in stainless steel (to enhance fruitiness) with lots of batonnage (for body).  There was no acidification.

Tasting note: a rich, beeswaxy nose with stone fruits, especially apricot close to the kernel, which notes follow through on a palate with a pronounced nuttiness (fresh marzipan/calisson) and vanillin oak. Though weighty, a ripe but zesty backbone of citrus acidity brings balance and teases out a long, leesy, savoury finish with lemon and orange peel nuances. A powerful wine, which often puts me in mind of an Hermitage from the Northern Rhône, France.  13.5%

Monte da Ravasqueira MR Premium Rosé 2013(VR Alentejano)

Terroir: this rosé made from 100% Touriga Nacional is from Arraiolos in the Évora district of Alto Alentejo.  For winemaker Pedro Pereira, the key to the freshness of Monte da Ravasqueira’s range lies in the estate’s very pronounced diurnal temperature variation.  Even in the hottest months of July and August when temperatures might hit 40 degrees centigrade, at night the temperature can fall below 10 degrees. Cool nights help the grapes to retain acidity better; it’s good for aromatics and structure too. Gonçalves attributes this strong diurnal to the amphitheatre-like topography of the vineyard (all 45 hectares are planted on slopes rising to 270m), together with the surrounding forest and dams. Though supplemental irrigation is required, clay-limestone soils have good moisture retention while granite outcrops seem to enhance minerality/freshness, as in the Dão.

Winemaking: where Gonçalves’ style revolves around “freshness + complexity (a matrix of flavours) + varietal character + intensity + concentration,” he sourced fruit from five different parcels (by row orientation-exposure, soil type and canopy management) and hand-harvested the grapes on different days, ranging from 8 September to 27 September. The grapes were kept in refrigerated containers between two to 20 days at two degrees for concentration and to enhance aromatic potential and fruit. Two parcels were pressed directly to new French oak barrels and naturally fermented with batonnage on full solids.  The other three were first settled and inoculated with yeast prior to transfer to new French oak barrels on the second day of fermentation. All five parcels were aged in barrel on the lees for six months with light batonnage for the first 2 months.

Tasting note: Touriga Nacional seems to lend itself well to rosé wines and this is an unusual example, savoury yet fruity, round, yet fresh. It’s thoroughly delicious with savoury, creamy lees, delicate wild strawberries, strawberry shortbread and refreshing peach tea. Mineral acidity brings freshness and persistence to its lingering finish.  13%

Susana Esteban Aventura Tinto 2013 (VR Alentejano)

Terroir: this, my first red, is from the Alto/Upper Alentejo but is a blend of DOC sub-regions.  Esteban sources the Aragonês and Touriga Nacional (40% and 20% of the blend respectively) from a dry grown 15 year old vineyard in Évora at 300m on clay/limestone soils. The balance is a mix of varieties from a dry grown 30 year old field blend vineyard in Portalegre, the Alto Alentejo’s northernmost sub-region. It’s not just the northerly location which accounts for Portalegre being Alentejo’s coolest, wettest area. The Serra de São Mamede mountain – at over 1000m, the highest point in southern Portugal – provides serious elevation (up to 800m) and poor granitic soils. Where Esteban’s aim is “to make a fresh wine, with character but appealing at the same time,” she looks to Portalegre for freshness and austerity, while Évora provides the heat which the winemaker believes Touriga Nacional and Aragones need to show their potential (though she emphasises “I have attention to pick with only 13 or 13% alcohol).

Winemaking: the grapes are hand-picked and naturally fermented (with no acidification) in small stainless steel temperature controlled lagares. I very much like the fact that Esteban has put the emphasis squarely on the fruit and freshness – this wine is unoaked.

Tasting note: wonderful vibrancy and texture (think crushed velvet) to its pure, freshly picked and puréed (so it feels) fruits of the forest. Smooth tannins and sappy acidity reinforce the charming immediacy of this youthful red. Lovely.  13.5%

Blend-All-About-Wine-Taberna-do-Mercado-Tasting-Casa-do-Porco-Preto

Casa do Porco Preto, Alentejo at Taberna do Mercado – Photo by Charmaine Grieger | All Rights Reserved

Herdade de São  Miguel Reserva 2012 (VR Alentejano)

Terroir: Herdade de São  Miguel is located in the Redondo sub-region (a DOC) of the Alto/Upper Alentejo. For Alexandre Relvas junior the Serra d’Ossa hills (which rise to 650 metres) shelter Redondo’s vineyards from northerly and easterly winds and furnish cold, dry winters to offset the hot, sun-drenched summers.  His vineyard is located at 400m on low yielding clay/schist soils which produce concentrated, small berries. This wine is a blend of 80% Alicante Bouschet, 15% Aragonez and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from 13 year old vines.

Winemaking: hand harvested fruit is totally de-stemmed and undergoes a 48 hour cold soak prior to fermentation in open stainless steel lagares with automatic pigeurs for softer extraction, a bit of natural oxidation too “to help fix colour and tannins from the beginning” says Relvas. It was aged for 12 months in 400 litre French oak barrels (50% new).

Tasting note: an intense nose of blackcurrant and bramble fruit with a touch of vanillin oak and dusty schist undertones, which follow through on a succulent palate with lovely freshness. Though only five percent of the blend, the Cabernet is quite evident in flavour profile (blackcurrant with a hint of mint) and fine, gravelly, mineral tannins. It does not have the concentration or complexity of the (more expensive) wines which followed, but it’s well balanced and persistent. Very well made, indeed wears its 15% abv lightly.

Quinta do Mouro Touriga Nacional 2010 (VR Alentejano)

Terroir: This single varietal Touriga Nacional is from Estremoz in the Borba sub-region (a DOC) of the Alto/Upper Alentejo.  It is north of Redondo and just north of the Serra d’Ossa, which offers a little protection from the warm south winds.  Where Quinta do Mouro is at 420m, elevation also tempers the climate, as do plunging night-time temperatures which, says winemaker Luis Louro, can be 20 degrees lower than in the day “especially at the later stages of maturation, and fogs are common.” Schist soils and dry-farmed vineyards also account for the very structured, ageworthy and characterful style of Mouro’s reds. Sourced from “a very good” Douro vineyard in 1998, the Touriga Nacional was grafted onto Castelão vines which had been planted in 1989.

Winemaking: hand-harvested fruit was partially de-stemmed, leaving around 10% whole bunch for a bit more structure and fresher flavours.  The grapes were foot-trodden in lagares and underwent a two day cold soak prior to starting fermentation. It finished fermenting in stainless steel tanks with temperature control and, after pressing, was aged for 12 months in new 300 litre French oak barrels.

Tasting note: a deep, opaque plum hue with an exotic bergamot perfume which provides lift to a concentrated raspberry and plum, vanillin-edged palate together with lively peppery whole bunch notes, dried sage and mint. Textured suede-like tannins cleave the flavours to the palate, amplifying its intensity and back palate resonance.  Powerful, a little wild even, yet balanced. A charismatic single varietal Touriga. 14%

João Portugal Ramos Marquês de Borba Reserva 2012 (DOC Alentejo)

Terroir: also from Estremoz, this blend of 30% Trincadeira, 30% Aragones, 25% Alicante Bouschet and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon comes from João Portugal Ramos’ original vineyard.  The vines, planted in 1989, are located around his house and have  been the source of this wine since it was first made in 1997. Located at 350m on very old schist

Winemaking: hand harvested grapes are picking grapes at night and early in the morning.  The grapes are partially de-stemmed (50% whole bunch) and start co-fermenting (naturally) in marble lagares with foot treading. For Ramos the advantages of the lagares include a higher area of contact between the liquid and the solid part of the must, gentle homogenisation of the must (because a thinner cap is formed compared to the normal tanks) and the aesthetics of the local marble (which, incidentally Mendes has used for his table tops at Taberna do Mercado). The final third of the fermentation is completed in stainless steel vats with the benefit of temperature control.  The post-ferment maceration usually lasts about two weeks. The wine is then matured for 18 months in French 225 litre oak barrels (two thirds of which are new).

Tasting note: a very polished red with tobacco and cigar box to nose and palate. Red fruits dominate the attack while the Cabernet becomes more assertive going through, bringing well-defined blackcurrant fruit and a spray coating of fine but plentiful powdery tannins which build in the mouth. Dry, firm, focused and very fine with excellent balancing freshness. The tightest of the reds, it has great ageing potential. 14.5%

Herdade do Mouchão 2010 (VR Alentejano)

Terroir: this blend of around 70% Alicante Bouschet and 30% Trincadeira comes from one of the region’s most established players, Herdade do Mouchão, which has belonged to the same family since 1874. Mouchão was the first vineyard to be planted to Alicante Bouschet and the current vines trace their genetic origin back to this original 19th century stock. Mouchão is in Sousel to the north of Borba in the Alto/Upper Alentejo.  The Alicante Bouschet is sourced from several parcels near the winery at around 230m and ranging between 10 and 30 years old. Located on a delta between two small rivers, the sandy topsoil is well-drained but the deep clay beneath retains the humidity which allows for a balanced maturation, freshness and good acidity. The hallmarks of Mouchão’s great ageing potential. The thinner skinned Trincadeira benefits from being planted on higher, well-drained ground at around 400m.

Winemaking: this most traditional of wines is hand picked and fermented in the old winery’s original stone lagares with 100% stems.  It is then aged in large old 5,000 litre toneis for two to three years. It spends a further two to three years in bottle before being released.

Tasting note: a very deep hue with a rich, very complex nose and palate – almost a meal in itself – but a balanced one.  Mouchão 2010 has savoury layers of mellow dried fig, black olive and incipient leather with inky floral, tobacco, berber whisky (stewed mint tea) and eucalyptus top notes.  Sturdy, spicy, grape-driven tannins build in the mouth, yet are very well integrated – not in the least aggressive.  A very long, involving finish has this estate’s warm earth, slightly bloody, ironstone tang. Terrific sense of place. 14%

Of Paradox and Patrimony: An Interview with Marta Soares, Casal Figueira

Text Sarah Ahmed

“Vital is my face,” says Marta Soares of Casal Figueira.  Together with her late husband, António Carvalho, Soares has not only rescued this humble, autochthonous Lisboa white grape variety from obscurity, but also shown it in a dazzling light.

So how does she describe Vital?  The words come tumbling out.  After all, this deep thinker knows herself. “Productive, strong, dynamic.  A lover of time and space.  Wild like the vineyard.  Fresh and austere, but also complex.  When you start to know it, you go into that world.”  Over a luminous bottle of Casal Figueira António Vital 2013, Soares privileged me with a glimpse into her world of paradox and patrimony.

Of paradox

For, “born in cement,” Soares did not set out to make wine like Carvalho, whose family had grown grapes for generations in Vermelha, near Torres Vedras, in the Lisboa wine region. Rather the former student of the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Lisboa had found her identity in art.  When she met Carvalho in 1999, Soares was on the brink of going to New York to further her career, initially with the support of the Luso-American Foundation and, long term, through the Fulbright Program who had approved her portfolio; she just needed to complete the paperwork.

Though she had enjoyed success with her exhibitions she reflects, “I was too young I think and soon came to pressure myself; I knew I needed something to change.”  Soares asked friends if they knew of a space where she could be quiet and alone to think before heading off to the States.  They told her about “a crazy friend with a farm” near Torres Vedras who probably had the space for her to set up a studio.

This ‘crazy friend’ was Carvalho, who, having studied with French vignerons at Montpellier’s École Pratique Agricole, was ploughing a lonely furrow making terroir-driven, quality wines on a 50 hectare family-owned plot (Casal Figueira), 15 hectares of which he planted to vines in 1990.   As if this what not departure enough from Lisboa’s quantity-focused tradition, his vines were cultivated biodynamically and included French grape varieties Marsanne, Roussanne, Petit Manseng and Semillon in addition to local grapes Fernão Pires and Arinto.

Soares vividly recalls, “when I got there, I saw this obstinate guy in a hat in the vineyard pruning the vines one by one in a repetitive gesture every day, from early in the morning until the end of the day.  He would think about each vine and treat it as a separate sculpture; it was very close to the work of an artist – you have to model it [the sculpture] each day, every year, then it will become what you want it to become.”

When she and Carvalho shared the fruits of his labour at the end of those long days, she found the answer to her burning question about “what drove this man?” Describing his objective, the wine, as “so strong,” she says, “you could appreciate all the work.”  Soares also realised that his “litany” of pruning with the goal of making wine paradoxically appealed to her because “it seemed relaxing” in contrast to the life of an artist where “you just build things day after day but never know exactly where you are going.”  She elaborates, for a vigneron, “you are not in command because nature dictates what time you spend while, every day, an artist must decide if they are to paint or not…everything is your responsibility.”

On the other hand, she observes, where you work with nature and organic materials (the opposite of an artist working with artificial materials “so they can control everything”), you have to be prepared for whatever happens.   In Carvalho she came to see that, “if you are fearless, you can see it [working with nature] as an adventure and re-discover passion every day.”

These paradoxes and points of departure from her own work interested Soares.  Falling in love with Carvalho and, with “so much to learn in front of me…especially in relation to practical doing,” she gave up on her New York plans to stay with Carvalho and, when she could, help him in the vineyard and cellar.

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“the first label in the language of Casal Figueira” – Photo Provided by Marta Soares | All Rights Reserved

Conversely, she says her good will and energy about his work gave him the strength to continue despite the fact people didn’t believe in the style of his wine.  It was Soares who came up with what she describes as “the first label in the language of Casal Figueira.”  The white label bears the name of the estate, description “white wine” and depicts her sketch of the fig tree outside the cellar.  She explains “it was about simplicity – drawing attention to the content not form.”

Still, ahead of their time, Carvalho and Soares were unable to make a success of the business and entered into bankruptcy in 2003.  Carvalho’s family re-possessed the farm during which period the couple worked for acclaimed Spanish winemaker Telmo Rodrigues on a project to recover old Godello vineyards in Galicia.  When Carvalho’s father died the following year, they returned from Spain and worked the farm at Casal Figueira once more until it had to be sold in 2007 to pay off family debts.

Soares says this was a hard time because they knew the farm would eventually have to be sold, but “it was the rising of ‘new’ Casal Figueira: fearless, stronger than ever.”  Why?  Because Carvalho recognised “you can only make great wines if you stick to the vineyard and stay there with it.  You need to be at home. Only that way you’ll understand it and make the best out of it. That’s what biodynamic is in its essence: to stay there and understand it.”

Of patrimony

Which is why the couple then decided to stay in Lisboa and seek out its autochtonous grape varieties. In contrast with the year in Spain, Soares says “[I]t was where we both could stay every day. Loving each other, loving the vineyards, loving our children. To love something needs everyday care.”  What’s more “[O]ur region was also where we had already some knowledge on climate, soil, behaviour of plants, insects and natural fallibilities.”

B R M (Bons Reis Magos) for the labels of wine Antonio

The local annual wall painting ritual of B R M (Bons Reis Magos), a source of inspiration for Casal Figueira António Vital labels – Photo Provided by Marta Soares | All Rights Reserved

The search took Carvalho back in time, to the buggy trips with his nanny up onto the north side of Serra Montejunto to visit with her relatives, farmers.   And so it was that the couple came to find the source of Casal Figueira’s acclaimed Vital wine – four plots of 50-100 year old vines on limestone at 250-400m above sea level, which is uncommonly high for Lisboa. These plots were owned by (and named after) the cousins of Carvalho’s nanny, Acacio, Cremilde, Humberto and Pedra who, in addition to selling grapes to the local co-operative, had always made their own wine from these vines too. Describing them as “very oxidative, very strange,” Soares smiles inwardly with pride when she regales how “Antonio had the vision to understand the potential of the grape variety.”

The Pedra vineyard plateau at 350 m altitude heading North  80 year old vines in limestone gobelet of Vital

The Pedra vineyard at 350 m altitude;  80 year Vital vines in limestone, Serra Montejunto, Lisboa – Photo Provided by Marta Soares | All Rights Reserved

It was, Soares adds, the perfect project because, living nearby and with cellar space a stone’s throw away, they could achieve their goal of obtaining “a very clear expression of the grapes.”  She points out “proximity is the main word.  If there is a big distance between the vineyard, cellar and where you live, there is a lack of quality in life and in the freshness of grapes. If it takes hours to get to the vineyard, you will not stay long, then you will hire people.”

However, the couple’s travails were far from over.  In 2009, Carvalho collapsed and died from a heart attack while treading grapes.  He was just 43 years old.  Mid-harvest and with two young children to support, Soares tells me she had only three seconds of hesitation about carrying on with the project.  A hesitation, she adds, which stemmed only from wondering if she could live up to the man she describes as “an incredible winemaker…the best in all of Portugal.”

I ask if continuing with Casal Figueira was a way to honour António’s vision and stay close to him? For Soares, the purpose was much higher.  She describes it as “an epiphany of living which was not about art, but about practice…about relating directly to things you do, refusing theory and going hands on” – a different approach to life which she learned from Carvalho.  Despite everything, she can look back on his death and describe it as “a happy thing because he gave his life for something he believed in and it was his heart, not the winemaking or the land which killed him.”

layering vines

“New Vital vines are propagated using the layering (mergulhia) technique which Soares observes ‘is incredible, because my paintings are made out of a layering process which I called “matrixes”.’ A cane from an existing vine is buried into the ground next to the “mother” vine to create a new vine; the connection between the two is severed when the new vine develops its own root system.” – Photo Provided by Marta Soares | All Rights Reserved

Of equal motivation is another higher purpose, which is to preserve Portugal’s cultural patrimony of vines.  For Soares, this transcends wine itself, which she describes as merely “a necessary step to have an expression of vineyards.”  “Imagine,” she says, “when you farm 100 year old vineyards how many people have died and yet the vineyard goes on.  Vineyards are a register of time and time is culture – we should take care of this.”

Though she recognises that “this cultural patrimony has incredible value in Portugal,” Soares is keenly aware that unlike France, “where art, wine and literature are together,” high culture and agriculture are completely separate in her country.  She passionately believes that there should be a connection between “what is basic in life – agricultural production – and what’s happening in art.”  Instead, she laments, “we are looking elsewhere, outside, never looking inside, never looking here.”

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Casal Figueira António Vital 2013 – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

I can certainly relate her comments to Portugal’s recent winemaking history, where you could be forgiven for thinking that only a handful of native, not necessarily local grapes, warrant attention.  However, I am pleased to see a new generation of producers like Carvalho and Soares coming full circle to embrace the best of tradition.  Not just autochtonous grape varieties but also viticultural and winemaking techniques.  Just look at Baga Friends, or Rita Marques’ Conceito Bastardo, André Manz’s Jampal and the work of António Maçinta in the Azores to revive local grapes Arinto do Açores and Terrantez do Pico.

Returning to Vital, which Soares alone champions as a single varietal wine, it represents not only her face, but also “a richness in authenticity…something so simple that it has a pricelessness.”  She concludes “that is what I love about Portugal and for me it’s what Vital represents.”

Bruno Prats on Magic Douro Fruit & a Chryseia Vertical

Text Sarah Ahmed

Lately, business has been brisk attracting top Bordeaux talent to the Douro. Poças Júnior recently announced that Hubert de Boüard and Philippe Nunes of Château Angélus have been working with them since the 2014 vintage. The previous year, Lima & Smith caused a stir when they hired Jean-Claude Berrouet, former winemaker at Château Pétrus, to consult at Quinta da Boavista.

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Bruno Prats With a Vertical of Chryseia – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

While the results of these very recent collaborations have yet to be seen, another Bordeaux/Douro collaboration, Prats & Symington, hit the headlines with the 10th release of “Grand Vin,” Prats & Symington Chryseia 2011.  This, my favourite vintage of Prats & Symington Chryseia thus far, made the cut for Wine Spectator’s coveted Top 100 Wines of the Year, 2014.

Earlier this month I attended a vertical tasting of Chryseia presented by the Bordeaux half of this French/Portuguese marriage, Bruno Prats, former owner of Château Cos d’Estournel. The Symington family was represented by the fifth generation, Charlotte Symington, the first woman from this well known Port family to go on the payroll (she is Port brand ambassador at UK importer Fells, which is Symington owned).

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Quinta de Roriz – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

Prats had not long sold Cos d’Estournel before establishing the 50:50 joint venture with the Symingtons.  He tells me the project took off faster than he had expected.  After just one year of trials, the first vintage of Chryseia was made in 2000.   Since then, vineyard sourcing has changed dramatically, first with the partnership’s acquisition of Quinta de Perdiz in 2004 which, in 2009, was followed by the purchase of Quinta de Roriz, which has a dedicated Prats & Symington winery. (Incidentally, another dramatic change since 2000 is the price tag of top Bordeaux which, says a smiling Prats, means top Douro reds compare very favourably with similarly priced Bordeaux).

He may call Chryseia the “Grand Vin” but, Prats told us, “our aim was always to produce food-friendly, elegant, balanced wines with the focus on finesse, not power.”  His comments reminded me of a conversation ten year’s earlier with fellow Bordelais Baron Eric de Rothschild.  In response to my observation that Domaine Baron de Rothschild (Lafite) wines from Argentina, Chile, Portugal, the USA and South of France shared an unusual restraint he shot back “you can take the man out of Bordeaux, but you can’t take the Bordeaux out of the man.”

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Prats & Symington Assistant Winemaker Luis Coelho With Touriga Nacional Vines at Quinta De Roriz – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

Still, I’m sure it’s only coincidence that Prats has homed in on just two grape varieties in the Douro.  Where Bordeaux has its Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot dichotomy, Prats claims only to find Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca “interesting.”  This draconian varietal focus is one reason why he favours younger (single varietal) block planted vineyards over the Douro’s traditional varietally mixed so-called field blend vineyards.  How do you know when to pick old vineyards, he asks rhetorically, later asserting “I am convinced we must work with block plantings to be sure to pick at the right time.”  Which seems odd when so many of the region’s finest producers manage perfectly well, indeed use old field blend vineyards to fabulous effect – Niepoort and Quinta do Crasto spring to mind.  Moreover, Niepoort’s increased focus on elegance and digestibility confirms that these two qualities are not the sole preserve of block planted vineyards (less still two varieties).

That said, I think Prats has a point when he says “you can get power in the Douro easily, which is why it’s important to concentrate on elegance.” While we’ll have to beg to differ about block plantings and two (admittedly world class) grape varieties being key to elegance, there can be little doubt about the positive impact of long but gentle macerations and a relatively short spell in oak compared with other top Douro cuvees (and indeed Bordeaux).  As you’d expect from a renowned Bordelais winemaker, tannin management at Prats & Symington has always been exemplary.

According to Prats, unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, neither Touriga Nacional nor Touriga Franca “can accept a very high level of oak.” It also explains why 400 litre barrels are preferable to Bordeaux’s 225 litre barriques.  For Prats “what’s magic with Douro wine is the fruit; we must preserve the fruit.”

I’m all for fruit, especially when it is expressed as brightly as in 2011 and 2012, but what excites me most about these Chryseia vintages is their pronounced minerality.  A quality which, I might add, is present in both even though Prats describes one (the 2011) as “a more Douro style” and the other (2012) as “more Bordeaux in style.”

It seems to me that this minerality is a hallmark of Quinta de Roriz (and its neighbour, Churchill’s Quinta da Gricha).  Prats observes that the schist at Roriz is particularly mineral-rich (very friable too compared with Perdiz’s harder, thicker schist).  Apparently, there was a tin mine on the estate until 40 years ago but, as to how this translates into the glass, Prats says “I’m happy it’s still a mystery” – more Douro magic, you might say!

Below you’ll find my notes on the estate’s latest releases and the Chryseia vertical.    Chryseia has been made every year save for 2002 and 2010. Since 2002, to adopt Bordeaux-speak, a “second wine”, Post Scriptum, has been produced annually.  It is made from those barrels which don’t make the cut for the “Grand Vin.”  (You can read more about the early history and evolution of Prats & Symington in my report of a visit to Quinta de Roriz and Decanter feature of 2011).

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A Vertical of Chryseia, Younger Vintages – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

Prats & Symington Prazo de Roriz 2011 (Douro)

Sourced as to 70% from Quinta de Roriz, 30% from Perdiz, Prats says the A grade grapes go to Post Scriptum and Chryseia, the balance to this wine which incorporates a much wider selection of Douro varieties.   As I’d expect in this top vintage, Prazo de Roriz 2011 has a nice concentration of cedar-edged plum and juicy black cherry/fruits of the forest.  Tinta Barocca, the lead grape (39%) is readily apparent in its softer, sweeter, slightly jammy palate.    Yet, in line with the philosophy of elegance, it shares the clean, fresh finish and fine tannins of Post Scriptum and Chryseia 2011.  This is an accomplished entry level red.  14.3%

Prats & Symington Post Scriptum 2011 (Douro)

A blend of 56% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca, 7% Tinta Barroca, 7% Tinta Roriz aged for 13 months in one year old 400 litre French oak barrels.  Deeper in hue and much more structured than the Prazo de Roriz with brighter, better defined black berry and cherry fruit and fine, gently tactile, smoky, mineral tannins.   The finish is precise and very persistent.  Very good.  13.9%

Prats & Symington Post Scriptum 2012 (Douro)

This blend of 53% Touriga Franca, 45% Touriga Nacional and 2% other varieties was aged for 13 months in one year old 400 litre French oak barrels.  A milder summer (thankfully with low yields owing to the drought) produced a more delicate wine with red rather than black fruits, slinky tannins and fresh, persistent acidity.  A markedly mid-weight palate reveals sweet-vanillin-edged damson and plum fruit, graphite and fruit (not oak) spice.   Though not as charismatic as the 2011, the 2012 has an elegant, ready charm.  13.3%

Prats & Symington Chryseia 2012 (Douro)

Vintage: The most noticeable aspect of the 2011/2012 viticultural year was the lack of water.  An unusually cold winter, the coldest in over a decade, was followed by an erratic spring whose unpredictable conditions led to poor fruit set and in turn, to a much smaller crop.  Lower than average summer temperatures mitigated the effects of drought, and because there were fewer bunches on the vines, the grape ripening progressed very satisfactorily enabling us to produce some very fine wines.  The grapes for Chyseia were picked at Quinta de Roriz between September 12th and October 8th and at Quinta da Perdiz between September 27th and October 9th.

A blend of 72% Touriga Nacional and 28% Touriga Franca sourced from Quinta de Roriz, Quinta da Perdiz and Quinta da Vila Velha.  It was aged for 15 months in 100% new 400 litre French oak barrels (Tonnellerie du Sud-Ouest, Boutes, François Frères).  Again the emphasis is on red fruits, here more concentrated with a very seductive sheen of perfumed oak (chocolate, cinnamon and cedar).  Bergamot and a hint of pipe tobacco bring additional lift and layer to this wine’s sweet core of raspberry, black cherry and forest fruits.   Fresh acidity makes for a very poised, persistent, schist-sluiced finish; its fluidity is under-scored by ultra-fine tannins.  Very classy. 13.7%

Prats & Symington Chryseia 2011 (Douro)

Vintage: Whilst 2011 was an exceptionally dry year, the abundant rainfall accumulated during the last three months of 2010 was to prove decisive for the prospects of the 2011, creating good water reserves in the Douro subsoil. The geology of the Douro, with its characteristic schist soils, facilitates the retention and storage of water, which the well-established root systems are able to draw on, although they have to go deep down to seek it out. Over centuries the Douro’s varieties have acclimatized to this mountain vineyard’s harsh conditions and they are well adapted to make the most of what little water they can access and to withstand the typically hot, dry summers.  The incredible terroir of Quinta de Roriz is itself a prevalent factor in the quality and style of Chryseia’s wines. The timely rainfall registered in late August and early September proved instrumental in creating ideal conditions for the final ripening stage, which was also favoured by perfect warm and dry vintage conditions. The grapes were received in the winery at Roriz with a textbook balance of sugars, phenolics and acidity, such as we have rarely seen before.  The vintage began at Quinta de Roriz on September 16th with the Touriga Nacional and w was concluded with the later-ripening Touriga Franca on September 30th.

A blend of 65% Touriga Nacional and 35% Touriga Franca aged for 15 months in 100% new 400 litre French oak barrels (Tonnellerie du Sud-Ouest, Taransaud, Boutes, François Frères).  This, one of my Top 10 New Douro 2011 wines tasted in December 2013, has enjoyed sell-out success on the back of Wine Spectator’s Top 100.  It’s a fabulous vintage of Chryseia, the first to really make its mark on me. I suspect because, as Prats put it, it’s more Douro than Bordeaux.  Why?  Because it has a pronounced terroir-driven schistous, salty, smoky minerality – a hallmark of Quinta de Roriz, also its neighbour, Churchill’s Quinta da Gricha.   And this minerality is very much to the fore in 2011 despite its imposing but very balanced and fresh concentrated black fruits.  Very lively, very long and focused its elegant frame belies this wine’s concentration and intensity; an outstanding exercise in power and restraint.  14%

Prats & Symington Chryseia 2009 (Douro)

Vintage: This was the third dry year in succession, and to compound the drought, the very hot conditions experienced in particular through August and September, brought about a very significant reduction in the size of the vintage (one of the smallest in the last 15 years in the Douro).  The adverse conditions notwithstanding, the exceptional terroir of Quinta de Roriz came to the fore.  The vineyard’s cooler north-facing aspect provided respite from the ferocity of the heat and the fact that the tow varieties used in the making of Chryseia (Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca) are generally heat-resistant also worked in our favour.  Additionally, the Touriga Franca is a late ripener and was therefore well equipped to withstand – and gain from – the very hot conditions experienced through September.  As the last variety to be picked at the end of September, after a full month of heat and three months with a paltry 7mm of total rainfall, yields did sugger though; the Franca producing an average of just 870g/vine (as compared to an overall average of 1.41kg/vine).  However, both the Nacional and the Franca performed well, completing their maturation cycles satisfactorily and delivering very good quality.

A blend of 70% Touriga Nacional and 30% Touriga Franca aged for 13 months in 100% new 400 litre French oak barrels (Tonnellerie du Sud-Ouest, Taransaud, Boutes, Radoux, François Frères, Saury).   This was the first vintage to be sourced from and vinified at Quinta de Roriz. It’s not my favourite Douro vintage – the ravages  drought and heat produced quite burly wines.  Hence even for those seeking elegance of expression, this is a well-built wine; it was interesting to hear Prats’ speculation about perhaps having made a better wine had they known the vineyard better. Muscular and opulent with velvety, ruffled tannins Chryseia 2009 has a tarry edge to its rich confit of raspberry and plum fruit. Chocolatey new oak further ratchets up the sweetness factor so, all in all, the 2009 lacks the restraint and finesse of the preceding wines.  Which is not to say it’s not enjoyable; if you like your wines big and bold, this will be more up your street. 14.4%

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A Vertical of Chryseia, Older Vintages – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

Prats & Symington Chryseia 2004 (Douro)

Vintage: A wet autumn in 2003 was followed by a very dry winter, with a serious lack of rainfall at a very crucial period. Warm and dry weather in May 2004 encouraged a rapid growth in vine shoots and a slightly lower than average fruit set. By the end of July the vines were in excellent condition, but with the continuing lack of rain we were starting to become quite concerned with potential hydric stress. Then the almost impossible happened: heavy rain in August, the 77mm measured between August 9th and 17th being the highest recorded in August in the Douro in 104 years. This was followed in September by 25 days of uninterrupted sunshine which allowed for perfect ripening and ideal harvest conditions. The harvest started later than usual on September 23rd and had just been completed when the rain resumed on October 9th. What could have been a very difficult year turned out to be a quite remarkable one, with a favourable combination of low yields, high sugar levels in the grapes, and a rich structure and great colour in the finished wine.

Details of varietal split and time in oak were not provided, but the fruit was sourced from Quintas Vesuvio, Bomfim, Vila Velha and, for the first time, Prat’s & Symington’s then recently acquired Quinta da Perdiz.  I’m a big fan of the 2004 vintage and it was interesting to re-taste a bottle of this vintage from Fells’ London stock.  The wine seemed brighter and fresher than the bottle I tasted in Oporto in December 2013 when I reviewed a number of 2004 Douro reds.  Like the bottle I tasted then, Chyseia 2004 is particularly spicy and perfumed with liquorice, esteva and pine needle notes, hints of bergamot too.  Together with its concentrated, still animated fruits of the forest, it lends this wine great energy – a certain Douro wildness of character (despite its ultra-refined tannins).  An involving finish with salt-lick, schistous minerality lingers long; this is a powerful, very characterful wine. 14.2%

Prats & Symington Chryseia 2003 (Douro)

Vintage: The heavy rain that fell in the autumn of 2002 and again in January 2003 was followed by higher than average temperatures in March.  The climactic conditions in May were extremely beneficial to the flowering and berry set, both indicated that 2003 would be a reasonably large harvest.  The summer was hot and dry bringing good concentration to the grapes, but rainfall on 27th and 28th August was very welcome and played a key role in improving fruit quality.  The grapes arrived at the winery with good Baumes and the musts showed very good colour.  The grapes were icked by hand from the 18 September, ending on the 9th October.

A blend of 60% Touriga Franca, 35% Touriga Nacional, 5% Tinta Cão sourced from Quintas Vesuvio, Bomfim, Vila Velha.  It was aged for 12 months in 100% new 350 litre and 400 litre French oak barrels (Tonnellerie du Sud-Ouest, Taransaud).  This was Prats’ favourite wine from the older vintages which, he observed, are characterised by Porty notes.  It’s a very polished, dark, chocolatey wine with supple tannins and glossy, very smooth fruit.  Accomplished yes (less porty than other 2003s I’ve tasted) and drinking very well but, for me, it lacked a sense of place –  the detail, interest and energy which I liked so much in the 2004. 14%

Prats & Symington Chryseia 2001 (Douro)

Vintage: The weather conditions in early 2001 were unusually wet with moderate temperatures. Conditions improved by the time of the flowering. Early on in the year the total crop was expected to be higher than normal. A hot and dry summer led to some dehydration of the fruit, earlier than expected ripening and lower than anticipated yields. Manual picking of grapes began on 13 September and ended on the the 27 of September.

A blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cão from Quintas Vesuvio, Vila Velha and Vale de Malhadas. Prats says it was mistake to include Tinta Roriz.   It was aged for 10 months in 100% new 350 litre and 400 litre French oak barrels (Tonnellerie du Sud-Ouest, Taransaud).  Evolved with rustic, gamy, Bovril notes to its Porty nose and palate and disjointed (volatile?) acidity.   Disappointing. 13.8%

Contatcts
Prats & Symington
Quinta de Roriz
São João da Pesqueira
5130-113 ERVEDOSA DO DOURO
Portugal
Tel: +351-22-3776300
Fax: +351-22-3776301
E-mail: info@chryseia.com
Site: www.chryseia.com

Bruno Prats on Magic Douro Fruit & a Chryseia Vertical

Text Sarah Ahmed

Lately, business has been brisk attracting top Bordeaux talent to the Douro. Poças Júnior recently announced that Hubert de Boüard and Philippe Nunes of Château Angélus have been working with them since the 2014 vintage. The previous year, Lima & Smith caused a stir when they hired Jean-Claude Berrouet, former winemaker at Château Pétrus, to consult at Quinta da Boavista.

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Bruno Prats With a Vertical of Chryseia – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

While the results of these very recent collaborations have yet to be seen, another Bordeaux/Douro collaboration, Prats & Symington, hit the headlines with the 10th release of “Grand Vin,” Prats & Symington Chryseia 2011.  This, my favourite vintage of Prats & Symington Chryseia thus far, made the cut for Wine Spectator’s coveted Top 100 Wines of the Year, 2014.

Earlier this month I attended a vertical tasting of Chryseia presented by the Bordeaux half of this French/Portuguese marriage, Bruno Prats, former owner of Château Cos d’Estournel. The Symington family was represented by the fifth generation, Charlotte Symington, the first woman from this well known Port family to go on the payroll (she is Port brand ambassador at UK importer Fells, which is Symington owned).

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Quinta de Roriz – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

Prats had not long sold Cos d’Estournel before establishing the 50:50 joint venture with the Symingtons.  He tells me the project took off faster than he had expected.  After just one year of trials, the first vintage of Chryseia was made in 2000.   Since then, vineyard sourcing has changed dramatically, first with the partnership’s acquisition of Quinta de Perdiz in 2004 which, in 2009, was followed by the purchase of Quinta de Roriz, which has a dedicated Prats & Symington winery. (Incidentally, another dramatic change since 2000 is the price tag of top Bordeaux which, says a smiling Prats, means top Douro reds compare very favourably with similarly priced Bordeaux).

He may call Chryseia the “Grand Vin” but, Prats told us, “our aim was always to produce food-friendly, elegant, balanced wines with the focus on finesse, not power.”  His comments reminded me of a conversation ten year’s earlier with fellow Bordelais Baron Eric de Rothschild.  In response to my observation that Domaine Baron de Rothschild (Lafite) wines from Argentina, Chile, Portugal, the USA and South of France shared an unusual restraint he shot back “you can take the man out of Bordeaux, but you can’t take the Bordeaux out of the man.”

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Prats & Symington Assistant Winemaker Luis Coelho With Touriga Nacional Vines at Quinta De Roriz – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

Still, I’m sure it’s only coincidence that Prats has homed in on just two grape varieties in the Douro.  Where Bordeaux has its Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot dichotomy, Prats claims only to find Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca “interesting.”  This draconian varietal focus is one reason why he favours younger (single varietal) block planted vineyards over the Douro’s traditional varietally mixed so-called field blend vineyards.  How do you know when to pick old vineyards, he asks rhetorically, later asserting “I am convinced we must work with block plantings to be sure to pick at the right time.”  Which seems odd when so many of the region’s finest producers manage perfectly well, indeed use old field blend vineyards to fabulous effect – Niepoort and Quinta do Crasto spring to mind.  Moreover, Niepoort’s increased focus on elegance and digestibility confirms that these two qualities are not the sole preserve of block planted vineyards (less still two varieties).

That said, I think Prats has a point when he says “you can get power in the Douro easily, which is why it’s important to concentrate on elegance.” While we’ll have to beg to differ about block plantings and two (admittedly world class) grape varieties being key to elegance, there can be little doubt about the positive impact of long but gentle macerations and a relatively short spell in oak compared with other top Douro cuvees (and indeed Bordeaux).  As you’d expect from a renowned Bordelais winemaker, tannin management at Prats & Symington has always been exemplary.

According to Prats, unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, neither Touriga Nacional nor Touriga Franca “can accept a very high level of oak.” It also explains why 400 litre barrels are preferable to Bordeaux’s 225 litre barriques.  For Prats “what’s magic with Douro wine is the fruit; we must preserve the fruit.”

I’m all for fruit, especially when it is expressed as brightly as in 2011 and 2012, but what excites me most about these Chryseia vintages is their pronounced minerality.  A quality which, I might add, is present in both even though Prats describes one (the 2011) as “a more Douro style” and the other (2012) as “more Bordeaux in style.”

It seems to me that this minerality is a hallmark of Quinta de Roriz (and its neighbour, Churchill’s Quinta da Gricha).  Prats observes that the schist at Roriz is particularly mineral-rich (very friable too compared with Perdiz’s harder, thicker schist).  Apparently, there was a tin mine on the estate until 40 years ago but, as to how this translates into the glass, Prats says “I’m happy it’s still a mystery” – more Douro magic, you might say!

Below you’ll find my notes on the estate’s latest releases and the Chryseia vertical.    Chryseia has been made every year save for 2002 and 2010. Since 2002, to adopt Bordeaux-speak, a “second wine”, Post Scriptum, has been produced annually.  It is made from those barrels which don’t make the cut for the “Grand Vin.”  (You can read more about the early history and evolution of Prats & Symington in my report of a visit to Quinta de Roriz and Decanter feature of 2011).

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A Vertical of Chryseia, Younger Vintages – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

Prats & Symington Prazo de Roriz 2011 (Douro)

Sourced as to 70% from Quinta de Roriz, 30% from Perdiz, Prats says the A grade grapes go to Post Scriptum and Chryseia, the balance to this wine which incorporates a much wider selection of Douro varieties.   As I’d expect in this top vintage, Prazo de Roriz 2011 has a nice concentration of cedar-edged plum and juicy black cherry/fruits of the forest.  Tinta Barocca, the lead grape (39%) is readily apparent in its softer, sweeter, slightly jammy palate.    Yet, in line with the philosophy of elegance, it shares the clean, fresh finish and fine tannins of Post Scriptum and Chryseia 2011.  This is an accomplished entry level red.  14.3%

Prats & Symington Post Scriptum 2011 (Douro)

A blend of 56% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca, 7% Tinta Barroca, 7% Tinta Roriz aged for 13 months in one year old 400 litre French oak barrels.  Deeper in hue and much more structured than the Prazo de Roriz with brighter, better defined black berry and cherry fruit and fine, gently tactile, smoky, mineral tannins.   The finish is precise and very persistent.  Very good.  13.9%

Prats & Symington Post Scriptum 2012 (Douro)

This blend of 53% Touriga Franca, 45% Touriga Nacional and 2% other varieties was aged for 13 months in one year old 400 litre French oak barrels.  A milder summer (thankfully with low yields owing to the drought) produced a more delicate wine with red rather than black fruits, slinky tannins and fresh, persistent acidity.  A markedly mid-weight palate reveals sweet-vanillin-edged damson and plum fruit, graphite and fruit (not oak) spice.   Though not as charismatic as the 2011, the 2012 has an elegant, ready charm.  13.3%

Prats & Symington Chryseia 2012 (Douro)

Vintage: The most noticeable aspect of the 2011/2012 viticultural year was the lack of water.  An unusually cold winter, the coldest in over a decade, was followed by an erratic spring whose unpredictable conditions led to poor fruit set and in turn, to a much smaller crop.  Lower than average summer temperatures mitigated the effects of drought, and because there were fewer bunches on the vines, the grape ripening progressed very satisfactorily enabling us to produce some very fine wines.  The grapes for Chyseia were picked at Quinta de Roriz between September 12th and October 8th and at Quinta da Perdiz between September 27th and October 9th.

A blend of 72% Touriga Nacional and 28% Touriga Franca sourced from Quinta de Roriz, Quinta da Perdiz and Quinta da Vila Velha.  It was aged for 15 months in 100% new 400 litre French oak barrels (Tonnellerie du Sud-Ouest, Boutes, François Frères).  Again the emphasis is on red fruits, here more concentrated with a very seductive sheen of perfumed oak (chocolate, cinnamon and cedar).  Bergamot and a hint of pipe tobacco bring additional lift and layer to this wine’s sweet core of raspberry, black cherry and forest fruits.   Fresh acidity makes for a very poised, persistent, schist-sluiced finish; its fluidity is under-scored by ultra-fine tannins.  Very classy. 13.7%

Prats & Symington Chryseia 2011 (Douro)

Vintage: Whilst 2011 was an exceptionally dry year, the abundant rainfall accumulated during the last three months of 2010 was to prove decisive for the prospects of the 2011, creating good water reserves in the Douro subsoil. The geology of the Douro, with its characteristic schist soils, facilitates the retention and storage of water, which the well-established root systems are able to draw on, although they have to go deep down to seek it out. Over centuries the Douro’s varieties have acclimatized to this mountain vineyard’s harsh conditions and they are well adapted to make the most of what little water they can access and to withstand the typically hot, dry summers.  The incredible terroir of Quinta de Roriz is itself a prevalent factor in the quality and style of Chryseia’s wines. The timely rainfall registered in late August and early September proved instrumental in creating ideal conditions for the final ripening stage, which was also favoured by perfect warm and dry vintage conditions. The grapes were received in the winery at Roriz with a textbook balance of sugars, phenolics and acidity, such as we have rarely seen before.  The vintage began at Quinta de Roriz on September 16th with the Touriga Nacional and w was concluded with the later-ripening Touriga Franca on September 30th.

A blend of 65% Touriga Nacional and 35% Touriga Franca aged for 15 months in 100% new 400 litre French oak barrels (Tonnellerie du Sud-Ouest, Taransaud, Boutes, François Frères).  This, one of my Top 10 New Douro 2011 wines tasted in December 2013, has enjoyed sell-out success on the back of Wine Spectator’s Top 100.  It’s a fabulous vintage of Chryseia, the first to really make its mark on me. I suspect because, as Prats put it, it’s more Douro than Bordeaux.  Why?  Because it has a pronounced terroir-driven schistous, salty, smoky minerality – a hallmark of Quinta de Roriz, also its neighbour, Churchill’s Quinta da Gricha.   And this minerality is very much to the fore in 2011 despite its imposing but very balanced and fresh concentrated black fruits.  Very lively, very long and focused its elegant frame belies this wine’s concentration and intensity; an outstanding exercise in power and restraint.  14%

Prats & Symington Chryseia 2009 (Douro)

Vintage: This was the third dry year in succession, and to compound the drought, the very hot conditions experienced in particular through August and September, brought about a very significant reduction in the size of the vintage (one of the smallest in the last 15 years in the Douro).  The adverse conditions notwithstanding, the exceptional terroir of Quinta de Roriz came to the fore.  The vineyard’s cooler north-facing aspect provided respite from the ferocity of the heat and the fact that the tow varieties used in the making of Chryseia (Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca) are generally heat-resistant also worked in our favour.  Additionally, the Touriga Franca is a late ripener and was therefore well equipped to withstand – and gain from – the very hot conditions experienced through September.  As the last variety to be picked at the end of September, after a full month of heat and three months with a paltry 7mm of total rainfall, yields did sugger though; the Franca producing an average of just 870g/vine (as compared to an overall average of 1.41kg/vine).  However, both the Nacional and the Franca performed well, completing their maturation cycles satisfactorily and delivering very good quality.

A blend of 70% Touriga Nacional and 30% Touriga Franca aged for 13 months in 100% new 400 litre French oak barrels (Tonnellerie du Sud-Ouest, Taransaud, Boutes, Radoux, François Frères, Saury).   This was the first vintage to be sourced from and vinified at Quinta de Roriz. It’s not my favourite Douro vintage – the ravages  drought and heat produced quite burly wines.  Hence even for those seeking elegance of expression, this is a well-built wine; it was interesting to hear Prats’ speculation about perhaps having made a better wine had they known the vineyard better. Muscular and opulent with velvety, ruffled tannins Chryseia 2009 has a tarry edge to its rich confit of raspberry and plum fruit. Chocolatey new oak further ratchets up the sweetness factor so, all in all, the 2009 lacks the restraint and finesse of the preceding wines.  Which is not to say it’s not enjoyable; if you like your wines big and bold, this will be more up your street. 14.4%

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A Vertical of Chryseia, Older Vintages – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

Prats & Symington Chryseia 2004 (Douro)

Vintage: A wet autumn in 2003 was followed by a very dry winter, with a serious lack of rainfall at a very crucial period. Warm and dry weather in May 2004 encouraged a rapid growth in vine shoots and a slightly lower than average fruit set. By the end of July the vines were in excellent condition, but with the continuing lack of rain we were starting to become quite concerned with potential hydric stress. Then the almost impossible happened: heavy rain in August, the 77mm measured between August 9th and 17th being the highest recorded in August in the Douro in 104 years. This was followed in September by 25 days of uninterrupted sunshine which allowed for perfect ripening and ideal harvest conditions. The harvest started later than usual on September 23rd and had just been completed when the rain resumed on October 9th. What could have been a very difficult year turned out to be a quite remarkable one, with a favourable combination of low yields, high sugar levels in the grapes, and a rich structure and great colour in the finished wine.

Details of varietal split and time in oak were not provided, but the fruit was sourced from Quintas Vesuvio, Bomfim, Vila Velha and, for the first time, Prat’s & Symington’s then recently acquired Quinta da Perdiz.  I’m a big fan of the 2004 vintage and it was interesting to re-taste a bottle of this vintage from Fells’ London stock.  The wine seemed brighter and fresher than the bottle I tasted in Oporto in December 2013 when I reviewed a number of 2004 Douro reds.  Like the bottle I tasted then, Chyseia 2004 is particularly spicy and perfumed with liquorice, esteva and pine needle notes, hints of bergamot too.  Together with its concentrated, still animated fruits of the forest, it lends this wine great energy – a certain Douro wildness of character (despite its ultra-refined tannins).  An involving finish with salt-lick, schistous minerality lingers long; this is a powerful, very characterful wine. 14.2%

Prats & Symington Chryseia 2003 (Douro)

Vintage: The heavy rain that fell in the autumn of 2002 and again in January 2003 was followed by higher than average temperatures in March.  The climactic conditions in May were extremely beneficial to the flowering and berry set, both indicated that 2003 would be a reasonably large harvest.  The summer was hot and dry bringing good concentration to the grapes, but rainfall on 27th and 28th August was very welcome and played a key role in improving fruit quality.  The grapes arrived at the winery with good Baumes and the musts showed very good colour.  The grapes were icked by hand from the 18 September, ending on the 9th October.

A blend of 60% Touriga Franca, 35% Touriga Nacional, 5% Tinta Cão sourced from Quintas Vesuvio, Bomfim, Vila Velha.  It was aged for 12 months in 100% new 350 litre and 400 litre French oak barrels (Tonnellerie du Sud-Ouest, Taransaud).  This was Prats’ favourite wine from the older vintages which, he observed, are characterised by Porty notes.  It’s a very polished, dark, chocolatey wine with supple tannins and glossy, very smooth fruit.  Accomplished yes (less porty than other 2003s I’ve tasted) and drinking very well but, for me, it lacked a sense of place –  the detail, interest and energy which I liked so much in the 2004. 14%

Prats & Symington Chryseia 2001 (Douro)

Vintage: The weather conditions in early 2001 were unusually wet with moderate temperatures. Conditions improved by the time of the flowering. Early on in the year the total crop was expected to be higher than normal. A hot and dry summer led to some dehydration of the fruit, earlier than expected ripening and lower than anticipated yields. Manual picking of grapes began on 13 September and ended on the the 27 of September.

A blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cão from Quintas Vesuvio, Vila Velha and Vale de Malhadas. Prats says it was mistake to include Tinta Roriz.   It was aged for 10 months in 100% new 350 litre and 400 litre French oak barrels (Tonnellerie du Sud-Ouest, Taransaud).  Evolved with rustic, gamy, Bovril notes to its Porty nose and palate and disjointed (volatile?) acidity.   Disappointing. 13.8%

Contatcts
Prats & Symington
Quinta de Roriz
São João da Pesqueira
5130-113 ERVEDOSA DO DOURO
Portugal
Tel: +351-22-3776300
Fax: +351-22-3776301
E-mail: info@chryseia.com
Site: www.chryseia.com

Raw: The Wines of Luis Seabra

Text Sarah Ahmed

In 2012, Luis Seabra quit his prestigious post making wine at Niepoort to strike out on his own.  He explains, “after so many years doing what I love for others, I think it gets to a point of why not do it for yourself.”

Photo credit Luis Seabra Vinhos Luis Seabra (1561)

Luis Seabra – Photo Provided by Luis Seabra Vinhos | All Rights Reserved

The philosophy at Luis Seabra Vinhos is encapsulated in the brand name Cru, which means raw. Seabra’s aim is to make wines “that really tell you where they come from, wine from specific vineyards with minimal intervention, wines that are true and honest, raw and pure…. Just getting back to basics.”

“Back to basics” has a very specific resonance for us Brits.  It was the campaign slogan that came back to haunt former British Prime Minister John Major during the 1990s as a series of scandals rocked the Tory party.  What does it actually mean to Seabra?

He tells me “the only thing used in the wines is sulphur [an anti-oxidant and antimicrobial agent]” and, even then, in low amounts “just to keep the wines on the track.”  He adds “I also prefer to have more oxygen in the juice and in young wines, for them to be able to stabilize in all ways and to age better in the bottle.”  The impact of this minimal intervention approach is readily apparent in Seabra’s textural, un-pushed wines and the funky, slightly nutty rather than fruity flavour profile of his whites in particular.

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Luis Seabra Cru Xisto Tinto 2013 old vineyard – Photo Provided by Luis Seabra Vinhos | All Rights Reserved

In France Cru also denotes a special vineyard or area of vineyards.  While Seabra is currently buying specific parcels of old vine fruit from a few growers he has known a long time he says, “the moment I will own the vineyards I could do a CRU of a specific plot.”  No doubt he will then bring his minimal intervention approach to grape growing too.  For now, he candidly admits, “I have some input in the vineyard management, but I’m fooling myself. What I do it’s slowly changing mentalities of growers….If I can convince a specific grower not to use herbicides in one year it is a big achievement for me.”

Also in the pipeline are two more reds from the 2014 vintage – a less expensive Douro red and another from “a crazy project,” he says, with a Spanish producer from Navarra, Laderas de Montejurra.

Below are my notes on his first 2013 Cru releases.  Each name-checks the soils – Xisto (Douro schist) and Granito (Vinho Verde granite) – whose influence Seabra seek to lay bare in the glass.  You can taste them with Seabra at Simplesmente Vinho 2015 in Oporto later this month.

Luis Seabra Vinhos Granito Cru Alvarinho 2013 (Monção-Melgaço,Vinho Verde)

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Luis Seabra Cru Xisto Branco 2013 & Granito Alvarinho 2013 – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

Sourced from four plots in Melgaço.  The grapes were fermented then aged for nine months on lees in large Eastern European oak vats (one new 2000 litre vat, the other a seasoned 1000 litre oak vat).  The wine underwent partial malolactic fermentation. Tangy citrus and stone fruit to the nose, which follows through on a textural, funky palate with soft, pillowy lees and a honeyed finish.  A shapely, very textural Alvarinho with gentle but persistent underlying mineral acidity.  12.5%

Luis Seabra Vinhos Xisto Cru Branco 2013 (Douro)

Grapes for this Rabigato-led blend were sourced from three aged (+80 year old) elevated vineyards in Meda, the Douro Superior at between 650m and 700m above sea level.  Other varieties (30% of the blend) include Códega, Gouveio, Viosinho and Dozelinho Branco.  A very insinuating wine with dancing, mineral acidity which, with a bit of time in glass, unravels subtly smoky, nutty layers to its very textural, vegetal white asparagus palate.  Like the Alvarinho, it has very distinctive soft, pillowy lees. 12%

Luis Seabra Vinhos Xisto Cru Tinto 2013 (Douro)

Luis Seabra Xisto Tinto 2013

Luis Seabra Cru Xisto Tinto 2013 – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

This cask sample blend of Rufete, Touriga Franca, Tinta Carvalha, Alicante Bouchet, Donzelinho Tinto, Malvazia Preta and others hails from two 80+ year old Cima Côrgo vineyards, one at 400m in Covas Valley, the other at 570m in Ervedosa (which is pretty high for reds).  Both are planted in slate soils with a predominance of blue schist.  The grapes were fermented with 50% stems in 3500 litre open wooden vats.  The wine was then aged on lees in aged French oak barrels.  It’s a markedly fresh Douro red.  A world apart from some of the region’s fuller-bodied, rich, robust styles, it wears its crunchy red cherry, currant and juicy black cherry and berry fruit and oak lightly, allowing its fine but firm charge of spicy fruit tannins and smoky, schistous minerality to bring texture and interest to the whole.  Lovely old vine intensity with a deeply embedded pine needle and inky floral perfume which puts me in mind of the Dão.  Promising and unusual in a good way.

Contacts
Luís Seabra Vinhos Lda
Rua da Reboleira, Nº 19, 3º Traseiras
4050-492 Porto
E-Mail: lseabrawine@gmail.com

Jen Pfeiffer: I’m a Fortified Girl!

Text Sarah Ahmed

Leading Australian fortified winemaker Jen Pfeiffer of Pfeiffer Wines reckons she tasted her first Port wine before the age of 10. Referring to her lucky childhood she says, “I grew up thinking it was normal to have Vintage Port dinners every week!”. This year Pfeiffer realised her dream of making her very own Port wine at Quinta dos Murças. I caught up with her in the Douro to find out about her latest project and fascination for all things fortified.

When did you first come to the Douro?

I first visited the Douro with my parents when I was 10 years old. I can remember being amused by the balonges (white dome shaped fermentation vats) and the train journey to Pinhão. We had dinner there with David Baverstock at Dow’s Quinta do Bomfim, which is funny because David now heads up winemaking at Quinta dos Murças!

This is your second time making wine in the Douro. What draws you to the Douro and Portugal?

Because of my love of Vintage Port it was my winemaking holy grail to have the opportunity to work in the Douro in what I had only hoped could be a vintage year. I was lucky enough to do so [on her first visit in 2007 Pfeiffer worked for The Fladgate Partnership at Quinta da Roeda].

I left with a huge sense of connection to the region and there will always be a part of me that belongs here. I love the tradition and culture of winemaking here that has been going on for centuries, the kindness of the people, the salt of earth sense of community in the different villages and the intense human effort that has gone into producing the vineyards and the wine for hundreds of years. For me, the Douro is a magical place.

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Jen Pfeiffer at Quinta dos Murças, Punching Down in the Lagares – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

My second visit has not only confirmed the intensity of the relationship I have with this region but also presented a new opportunity that I could have only once dreamed of. I’m not only making my own Port but also working in a very different place which has been wonderful and very educational, especially because Quinta dos Murças makes great table wines as well as Port. I’ve learned a lot about the structure of Douro table wines – the length and finesse of the tannins and, depending on the blend, the elegance and perfume or density and richness of the fruit. I’d not realised red wines would receive so much work in the lagares – it’s not dissimilar to Port.

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Chris & Jen Pfeiffer at Pfeiffer Wines’ barrel cellar, Rutherglen – Photo Provided by Pfeiffer Wines | All Rights Reserved

You make a wide range of fortified wines (Rutherglen’s famous fortified Muscats and Topaques and others made using the same techniques as Sherry and Port wines) also red, white, sweet and sparkling wines. Which do you most enjoy making?

Fortified styles, I’m a fortified girl! For me they are the most challenging wines. Blending across vintages, varieties and batches to keep a wine looking great for 50 years means you can be at your most creative and I love that. Coming from Rutherglen the quality, intensity and aromatics of Muscats and Topaques can be very exciting as is working with very delicate Apera [Sherry-style] wines under flor with next to no sulphur – it takes a different skill-set. At the end of the day they’re all my babies – I can’t single out a favourite fortified!

Which do you most enjoy drinking?

I love Riesling, Shiraz and of course the great fortified wines of the world. Here in the Douro of course I’m really enjoying drinking Port especially 20 year old Tawny Port after dinner because it has already developed such complexity.

You are a rare role model for a younger generation of fortified winemakers. How important is it to keep the torch burning for fortified wines?

It’s incredibly important to keep shouting out about fortified wines – I will never stop sharing my enthusiasm for these wines around the world and am involved in educational initiatives at Adelaide University and for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. Within the Rutherglen wine industry young winemakers have formed a group called the Rutherglen Young Bloods whose objective is to take the region’s wine to the market and show its relevance.

One of the objectives is to show people the versatility of fortified wines (they’re not just an after dinner sipper). These wines make great aperitifs and can form the basis of some killer mixed drinks as well. Pfeiffer’s Seriously Pink Apera was inspired by my time at Quinta do Roeda where Croft Pink Port is produced; mixologists are using our Aperas in cocktails. It’s a great way to introduce young people to fortified wine.

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Pfeiffer Seriously Pink – Photo Provided by Pfeiffer Wines | All Rights Reserved

There is also room to improve education about serving fortified wines with food, which would also improve their relevance. At Pfeiffer Wines’ cellar door we are always looking at ways to introduce wines to people, for instance High Tea with Topaques and Muscats. We also presented some savoury dishes which blew people away like Rutherglen Classic Muscat with gazpacho, terrines and patés with fruit chutneys.

And of course, the most important thing is to put the wines in front of as many people as possible, because generally when someone tastes a good quality fortified wine, they become hooked!!!!

I hugely enjoyed judging at Australia’s The Fortified Wine Show. The masterclasses are a clever way for senior judges to share their passion, knowledge and experience with other judges. I reckon Portugal should host an international fortified wine show. What do you think?

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Rutherglen Wine Show, The Judges, September 2013 – Photo Provided by Rutherglen Wine Show | All Rights Reserved

I would love Portugal to have a fortified wine show. I’ll come and judge!!!! It would also be a fantastic opportunity to bring fortified wine people together for a cultural exchange and global perspective on the category. There would be great energy and passion in the room!

The Douro and Rutherglen are both famous for their fortified wines. You have worked in both regions. What similarities and differences do you see?

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Jen Pfeiffer at Quinta dos Murças – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

We share a strong-rooted tradition and culture of inter-generational winemaking which is so important with fortifieds because you need really mature stock for the top wines. Also working in a successful family business is about working with someone who has been there before so that you can talk about it – Rutherglen has great father and son partnerships between Mick and David Morris of Morris Wines and Bill and Stephen Chambers of Chambers Rosewood and, of course, my synergy with dad. We all know how important it is to understand the past of wines to understand their future. In the Douro working with first David Guimaraens, now David Baverstock, I’ve been like a sponge trying to absorb as much as can.

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Jen Pfeiffer at Quinta dos Murças, in the vineyards – Photo Provided by Pfeiffer Wines | All Rights Reserved

Otherwise, the Douro and Rutherglen are clearly very different parts of the world with different terroir. Not just the soil profiles (the Douro’s schist versus Rutherglen’s red loam over clay and sandy alluvial river flats) but, for example, the Douro has elevation and different aspects because of its mountainous location while Rutherglen is flat, averaging just 165m above sea level. Cropping levels and vine age are hugely different too.

Although Rutherglen has some of Australia’s oldest plantings of Portuguese varieties they’re only around 20 years old so there’s a lot of catching up to do. Still, I see varietal similarities, for example Touriga Nacional’s mid-palate richness, fruit generosity and long, fine tannins and Tinta Barroca’s ripeness and fullness. On the other hand unlike the Douro, Tinta Roriz is not big on tannin in Australia – maybe it’s a different clone? And our Muscat [Moscatel] is red and picked much riper than the Douro’s white Moscatel Galego.

Since 2004, Pfeiffer has sometimes co-fermented different varieties from different vineyard blocks [rather than back blending single varietal wines] for complexity and completeness. However, on my first trip I can remember being really taken aback by the fact that this is a necessity in the Douro’s older [varietally mixed] field blend vineyards. While we have always picked based on the maturity of individual grape varieties, field blend vineyards are picked on the maturity of the block as a whole. Now I understand it is part of the Douro’s culture to look for the wine (not the individual grapes or varietal component parts) when assessing a wine.

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Jen’s Port at Quinta dos Murças – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

How good is it to be back making wine in the Douro Valley after seven years. What does it mean to you to make wine and Port here for your own brand?

It is wonderful. As soon as I saw the first vineyard from the train I felt very much at home – part of me belongs to the Douro and I feel like I’ve been away too long. When I left in 2007 I said that my dream would be to one day own a quinta here in the Douro and produce my own wines to sell back into Australia. While I haven’t quite done that, to have the opportunity to work with a progressive company like Quinta dos Murças to make my own wines here and then sell them in Australia is like a dream come true. I’m incredibly excited that it’s actually happening. My wines are made from several parcels of Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Amarela and a small amount of Touriga Franca which I’ve followed from harvest through ferment to barrel. I’ll be regularly tasting samples once I’m back in Australia to monitor my wines’ progress and, after I’ve completed the vintage in Rutherglen next spring I’ll come over and taste every barrel and put the blends together for bottling.

Tell us about the Naked Wines project and your market for the wines from this project.

My project came about because, Australia’s Naked Wines – the crowd-funding group for winemakers – invited its members (who are known as “angels”) to cast their vote for one of three Australian winemakers’ dream-come-true projects. If a winemaker got 2000 votes, the project got the go ahead. Within three days all three projects got 2000 votes! My Port and Douro wine from Murças will be sold online in Australia through Naked Wines. It’s too early to say if my wine will be of Vintage Port quality, a Late Bottled Vintage Port or Reserve Ruby.

Since both the other two projects are in Australia I’ve been really grateful for the can do attitude of David Baverstock and his team at Murças which has helped make my long-distance dream a reality and, of course, the angels who believed in me and wanted to support me. I’ve been sharing my journey here with the angels and I can’t wait to show them my Douro wine and Port.

Are Portuguese grape varieties, fortifieds and wine popular in Australia?

I think Portuguese grape varieties are becoming more and more popular in Australia. Around Rutherglen there have been plantings of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barocca, Sousão and Tinta Cão for over 20 years, both for Vintage (Port wine) styles and table wine. In other regions in Australia, these are varieties that are gaining in popularity too, especially Tinta Roriz (or Tempranillo as we are obliged to call it).

Likewise, Portuguese table wine is growing in popularity, particularly red wines from Douro, Dao and Alentejo. Port wine has been sold in Australia for a long time, with a particular focus on vintage and tawny. While the market is not huge for port wine in Australia when compared to the UK or the US, it is still very much considered a benchmark style of the world.

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Rutherglen has its Port – Photo by Sarah Ahmed | All Rights Reserved

Is it a good thing or a bad thing, Australia can no longer use the term Port or Sherry?

For most of my life, wine terms have been changing. I remember as I child, Australian winemakers using the terms Champagne, Hermitage and Claret. These terms are no longer in use. It is just a part of evolution.

Ultimately I think it is a good thing – I respect the region and heritage of Port and Sherry wines. While Australian winemakers have tried to emulate these styles over the years, it has been done so as a complement to those wines….but naturally these wines are unique again. Just like it is important to protect the heritage of the Rutherglen region with our Muscats and Topaques, it is important to protect the heritage of the Port and Sherry industries.

While initially there was some backlash in the Australian media about the name changes, Pfeiffer Wines saw it as an opportunity to reinvigorate both categories. We have re-packaged and re-labelled our wines with a modern approach to our branding. Now we have generation X and Y wine consumers coming in to our cellar door asking for an Apera, when they would have never asked for a Sherry.

Contacts
167 Distillery Road
Wahgunyah, Victoria, 3687
Australia
Tel: (+61) 260 332 805
Fax: (+61) 260 333 158
Email: cellardoor@pfeifferwines.com.au
Site: www.pfeifferwinesrutherglen.com.au

Maçanita – Born to Stand Out

Text Sarah Ahmed

The motto at Fita Preta is “why spend a lifetime trying to blend in, when you were born to stand out.” And so it is with the wines.

Take the Sexy range – brash branding (tacky, some might say) for a country which has been described as the most socially-conservative Roman Catholic nation.

Or the subject of this post, Fita Preta’s exciting, envelope-pushing Signature Series wines which I’ve written up below. Mostly single varietal, these wines fly squarely in the face of Portugal’s tradition of blending different grape varieties and yet, in other respects, positively kowtow to tradition.

The man behind the signature is António Maçanita, Fita Preta’s co-founder and winemaker. I asked him about the challenges of being different, what he has learned along the way and what next? Naturally, I also tasted the latest Fita Preta Signature Series releases, which I have reviewed below.

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António Maçanita at Winery – Photo Provided by Fita Preta | All Rights Reserved

The interview

Sexy but no Kiss: António you have a reputation for being a sharp marketeer yet, with such a diverse portfolio of brands – Sexy and the four different Fita Preta labels – you seem to have ignored the oldest rule in the book – Keep it simple, stupid (K.I.S.S.).
As you well know, in Portugal it is always with a kiss, or two, depending on who you meet. And we are no different. Our K.I.S.S. is viewed just from a different angle, not from “what we believe the market will like”, but from the angle of what we believe is beautiful, aesthetic, amusing, worth the effort, challenging and then hope that consumer will like and share the same excitement. It is sometimes as you say “not simple” and we know that. But more important is authentic and we bottle and label only what we can stand behind.

Saying this, as we grew and launched new wines we had to try to organize our message for the public as well as possible. For example we have been separating the communication (website and social media) for the Sexy label from the rest of the portfolio because it is such a strong brand and also a very party driven wine that needs its own world.

Finally thanks for the compliment “sharp marketeer.” I love it – for a winemaker that comes from a family of anti-business teachers and had never sold one thing in his life before wine, not even his old surfboards, it’s great.

What’s in a name: Turning to Fita Preta’s Signature Series brand it’s not an easy thing to court the export market with unheard of and unpronounceable grape varieties and wine regions. What motivated you to make this range and put your name to it?
The signature series by António Maçanita is where I give myself more room for trial and error, to dream higher, to go out of the box. I question the whys and why nots. It is here that I change the world, even if it is just a little bit and take responsibility for it.

My first signature was 2008 “Branco de Tintas” (a white wine out of red grapes) made out of Trincadeira and Alfrocheiro. I made it during a phase when there were not enough white grapes in the Alentejo for the market needs. So I thought why get into the craziness again of ripping reds to plant whites and not do whites out of reds grapes? We did it and the wine was really good. It ended up in our local wine magazine’s best wines of the year by and was one of the first white out of reds in Portugal. Now there are more than a handful of producers that do it. But the funniest thing (or not) is that it was not certified as Alentejano because it was a white wine made out of red wine grapes and yet that year the region allowed producers to use 20% of white wines from outside the region and still get certified Alentejano … go figure.

From there I got excited about “talhas” (clay pot amphorae). The idea clicked during a plane journey back from visiting friends in California who are making fantastic Sauvignon Blanc in concrete eggs. I said to myself why not use our “Talhas” that are part of our heritage – a symbol of the Alentejo? So when I arrived, we bought a 1940’s 1000 liter “Talha” (which we paid for with 300 bottles of sparkling wine). However, we decided to do modern winemaking (whole bunch pressing, cold fermentation) instead of the classic “Talha method” which is with skin contact. The result after fermentation was simply undrinkable – “beeswax” and “chemical.” We bottled it anyway saying “this is what it is” and, after 6 months in bottle, it became incredible. The “chemical” part was on the back of the nose giving the wine Riesling-like layers and the fruit came to the front of the palate – really fresh and clean. It is still one of my favorites and an anthem to Alentejo history.

From here the role of Signature became saving an almost extinct variety, “Terrantez do Pico.” It’s now in good shape and being re-planted all over the Azores. I am also testing another Azorean grape “Arinto dos Açores“, making a pure “Branco de Indígenas” (a white with neither inoculated yeast or temperature control) and, lastly, bringing Castelão back.

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António Maçanita at Talha Quest – Photo Provided by Fita Preta | All Rights Reserved

Coming a full a circle? Harking back to tradition (whether grape variety, winemaking process or wine style) is a hallmark of Fita Preta’s Signature Series. What have you learned from delving into the past and in what respects, if any, have you adapted tradition for contemporary tastes?
As an old world producing country we introduced a lot of new techniques – stainless steel, selected yeasts, foreign varieties, block planted (varietal) vineyards, wines aimed at the consumer etc. This has lead to an overall improvement of our wines both reds and whites, but it has also taken away some of the “soul” of our wines – what gave the wines a sense of place when you tasted them. The challenge is complex. It is between choosing what to bring back that can add complexity and typicity and what new techniques to apply while always keeping in mind that we too are part of history.

Pico potential: I recently visited the Azores and I was astounded by the quality and distinctive mineral, salty character of its dry whites, also to learn about Arinto dos Açores and Terrantez do Pico when I’d thought Verdelho (in sweeter/fortified styles) was the mainstay of production ?
The potential of the Azores is incredible. The grape varieties Verdelho (the true one), Arinto dos Açores or Terrantez do Pico are of incredible oenological potential. They are mineral and salty and, with good acidity, have great ageing potential. The “terroir” is unique with volcanic rock, ocean proximity and cold to moderate weather. This combination is explosive for great white wines. And I agree that this new batch of 2013 shows just that.

I also believe that the serious fortified wines that forged Pico’s reputation in the past will see a revival. As letters and even royal banquet menus show, it rivaled the best Madeira in markets like the UK, Holland, US and Russia. It was known in some markets as Pico-Madeira because of this resemblance.

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Pico Harvest – Photo Provided by Fita Preta | All Rights Reserved

A lot! Our Sexy brand has experienced great growth for its “traditional method” Sparkling wine in France and the US. For Fitapreta, Palpite and Preta a quarter of our vineyards are now in conversion to organic certification. On the Azores I am working closely with other producers and the agricultural department as well as developing our own production project on the islands. And then there are my consultancy projects at Quinta de Sant’Ana, Cem Reis and Arrepiado Velho among others.

The wines

Fita Preta Signature Series Branco de Talha by Anónio Maçanita 2012 (Vinho Regional Alentejano)
Talha is a reference to a very traditional winemaking tradition which dates back to the Roman’s presence in Alentejo many years ago. Talha means that the wine has been fermented in an amphora – just the one here – a 1000l amphora from 1946. And drawing on tradition, this wine sticks with the region’s classic white varieties – Roupeiro (70%) and Antão Vaz (30%). Or at least these dominate the wine where (unusually) the fruit is sourced from 25-30 year old field blend vines. I was surprised by the paleness of the wine and its tight nose until I realised it was transferred to stainless steel tanks after 28 days (amphorae are more porous than a tank which results in more oxidation). So how does this unusual wine – a blend of traditional and modern techniques- taste? It’s high-toned, quite aldehydic which could spell disaster but here is a positive, making for a lively, mercurial wine of lovely green, fresh nutty, fino sherry-like complexity and freshness. A pillowy texture adds to its sense of levity whilst simultaneously bringing weight. A long finish reveals earthier notes going through. Lots of interest here – a ying and yang push me pull me wine. I like its energy, complexity and persistence. 1,300 bottles produced. 13.5%

Fita Preta Signature Series Branco de Indígenas by Anónio Maçanita 2010 (Vinho Regional Alentejano)
Branco de Indígenas is a reference to the fact that this single varietal Arinto has been barrel-fermented (French oak) with 100% natural/indigenous yeast. With its bracing acidity and clean, focused citrus palate I think of Arinto as the Riesling of Portugal. But the winemaking brings another dimension to the grape. Or more precisely, it brings greater dimension, broadening out the palate, so it’s less citrus juice, more lemon rind and, like lemon rind, it has a textural quality – a creamy quality I associate with natural yeasts, perhaps also a function of lees/lees stirring? The wine is more savoury too, with sour dough and some oak torrefaction (nuttiness). Personally, I like to see a bit more fruit and energy, but if texture is your thing, it has an attractive silky languor. 800 bottles were produced. 12.5%

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Branco de Talha, Terrantez do Pico, Dranco de Indígenas – Photo Provided by Fita Preta | All Rights Reserved

Fita Preta Signature Series Arinto do Açores 2013 (Vinho Regional Açores)
Master Sommelier João Pires selected this taut white for a tasting at 10 Fest Azores – a brilliant showcase for the produce of the island and the talent of local and international chefs. It’s a super-intense, bracing example with terrific nervosity and the subtly leesy texture I associate with his wines. Tightly wound, its lemony fruit is shot through with minerals and salt so punchy and piquant that it ran very well with The Yeatman Head Chef Ricardo Costa’s first course of paprika dusted cracas (barnacles) e sapateira (crab) com vichyssoise. It had the weight and intensity to match this dish despite its pronounced linearity. 13.5%

Fita Preta Signature Series Terrantez do Pico by Anónio Maçanita 2013 (Vinho Regional Açores)
Pale straw with a sweetly nutty, slightly sherried (aldehydic), salty nose, a touch of iodine and grapefruit rind too, all of which notes carry through on a bone dry waxily textural palate together with earth and bruised/browning apple notes. Firmish acidity brings focus and length. Less consensual than the Arinto dos Açores but, with qualities which put me in mind of Loire Chenin, more specifically more muscular Chenins from Anjou (though it’s not as fruity), it has no shortage of structure or character. Very good. 25% of this wine was fermented in oak barrels (I’m assuming old barrels) for 9 months with weekly battonage. Just 646 numbered bottles produced – my sample being bottle number 534. All the rarer when you consider that these 646 bottled are the only bottles of varietal Terrantez do Pico in existence (apart from Maçanita’s previous vintage). And to explain that a little further, less than 100 vines of this near extinct variety exist outside the collection of the agrarian services. 13%

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Tinto de Castelão – Photo Provided by Fita Preta | All Rights Reserved

Fita Preta Signature Series Tinto de Castelão by Anónio Maçanita 2010 (Vinho Regional Alentejano)
The Castelão variety may have been put on the map by Peninsula de Setubal-based Jose Maria Fonseca’s Periquita brand but, according to Maçanita, Castelão originated in Alentejo where it remains the third most planted variety. Heeding the old saying that Castelão “needs time” Maçanita has given the grape just that – this wine was macerated on skins post fermentation for 30 days, aged in barrel for 24 months and bottle-aged for 20 months prior to release. It is a translucent ruby hue with a nose sweet with five spice and red summer fruits. In the mouth it is impressively fresh with a Pinot Noir-esque palate of crunchy and precise red cherry and currant fruit and firm, spicy fruit (so edgier and drier than oak) tannins and a whiff of cheroot. A long, very persistent finish reveals attractive and complexing campari and milk chocolate notes. With time in glass and, as it warms up, it becomes richer and rounder, more chocolatey. Personally, I’d serve it a little cool to keep the accent on the red fruits and freshness which I so admired. 2,636 bottles, mine bottle 28. 14%

Contacts
Office
Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Tapada da Ajuda Nº 84-D.
ED. INOVISA – I.S.A. 1349-017 Lisboa – Portugal
Tel: (+351) 213 147 297, (+351) 213 643 018
Fax: (+351) 918 051 326
Email: info@fitapreta.com
Site: fitapreta.com

Fitapreta Winery:
Herdade de Outeiro de Esquila
7040 – 999 Igrejinha – Arraiolos
Mobile 1: (+351) 913 582 547
Mobile 2: (+351) 915 880 095
email: adega@fitapreta.com

X Marks the Spot for Hélder Cunha, “Casca Wines” Roving Winemaker-Cum-Grape Marauder

Text Sarah Ahmed

Winemaker Helder Cunha and actor José Fidalgo criss-crossed Portugal by motorbike for the TV programme Rotas do Vinho (wine roads). Rotas which, with no vineyards and no winery, Cunha has come to know well. For he is one of Portugal’s new breed of roving winemakers-cum-grape marauders whose mission is, quite simply, to seek out the best grapes, wherever they might be. As long as the grapes are Portuguese it matters not if the region is fashionable and, for this, I take my hat off to Cunha.

At Casca Wines, which he co-founded with winemaker Frederico Gomes, wines are made in partnership with local growers and wineries in no less than ten DOC regions.

I am particularly enamoured of Casa Wines’ Monte Cascas Single Vineyard and Icon range, especially the quirkier wines from Colares and Tejo whose aged vineyards might just as well be described as national heirlooms. Where he laments “Portugal let its wine culture run through its fingers,” Cunha’s objective is to preserve them and renew Portugal’s unique tradition in winemaking. Here is what he had to say on this important topic, after which you’ll find my notes on Monte Cascas’ Single Vineyard and Icon range.

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Hélder Cunha – Photo Provided by Casca Wines | All Rights Reserved

The interview

1. Portugal’s glory days – its Age of Discovery – are long gone yet, with no vineyards of your own, you are injecting the restless spirit of Vasco da Gama into the Monte Cascas multi-sourced portfolio.  Tell me why you love to hit the road.
Going back to the old days, re-discovering the treasures of the country. I believe that Portugal is still an excellent wine producer. We have richness in varieties and terroirs which are unique in the wine world. Before I established Casca Wines I had the sense that Portuguese wines offer a rare tasting experience.  I felt that with a modern approach to traditional production we could deliver an exquisite new taste to the world of wine.  Before co-operatives were established 60 years ago, the vineyards were planted to produce quality and not just quantity. I love to hit the road because it is still possible to discover the vineyards before those times.

2. X marks the spot:  What and where, in your opinion, are the best grapes in the country and why?
Some years ago I believed that quality came from a certain area/region. Nowadays as we are producing in 10 different DOCs I believe that quality comes from the love you give to your work. The best grape growers are the ones who love their vineyard and that is easy to see and feel! Our challenge today is to achieve greatness in the different DOCs.
However it is a fact that it is easier to grow perfect grapes in terroirs which have a neutral to basic soil, a cooler yet dry climate with varietals which have more acidity. We must remember that Portugal is a hot country and the proximity to the Atlantic and altitude help to achieve a greater balance in the grapes [and so wines]

3. An Australian winemaker recently described their older more hard-pressed vines as “skinny old guys” because, initially, their wines are a little lean and need time in barrel to reveal their grace and evenness – hardly an on trend quality in our fast consuming society.  You’ve made it your business to seek out skinny old guys – what’s the attraction for a young guy like you?
The balance that an older vine can deliver helps to show the best of its region. The “skinny old guys” are like our grandparents for whom experience brought balance. I agree with the Australian winemaker, these wines need time to achieve grace, so the only way to show them in this fast consuming society is to share them by opening a bottle and to explain their origin and what’s expected in the coming years. One of our first private clients who appreciated that we were doing something special just wrote to us asking for our first vintage of Malvasia de Colares because he has three cases but wants to buy more for ageing.

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Hélder Cunha – Photo Provided by Casca Wines | All Rights Reserved

4. Has working with the skinny old guys paid off? Take Fernão Pires, a workhorse variety which typically makes cheap volume wines.  Is it difficult to challenge perceptions of this grape even if it comes from 100 year old vines?

Yes, very difficult!  Still, our export clients who have little knowledge about Fernão Pires simply didn’t care that the grape is used for cheap wines.  They just looked at the quality. This helped to convince the Portuguese public and, today, our Fernão Pires is known to ”connoisseurs”.

5. Is it hard to track down and source grapes from such venerable old vineyards or are they overlooked, neglected and all too available?
It is harder now than when we started. These vineyards are neglected and European Union grants for the re-structuring of vineyards have wiped out a lot of the “treasures” that existed. Also the price of the grapes that growers are paid doesn’t reflect the quality you can get from old vineyards, so a grape grower simply wipes them out and plants a new one. Portalegre, for sure one of the best areas to produce a true Alentejo wine, is a good example.  Nowadays it is very hard to find a very old vineyard with a viable quantity of grapes because most of them were abandoned when the co-operative went into decline.

6. Do you have any plans to settle down and a buy your own vineyards or will you always be a rolling (terroirist) stone?
Yes, one day I will have my own vineyards, but this doesn’t mean I will stop being a rolling terroirist.

The tasting

Casca Wines Monte Cascas Colares Malvasia 2011 (Colares)
Malvasia de Colares is unique to the Colares region.  And not very much of it exists.  The grapes for this wine – all 36 cases of it, were sourced from two 80+ year old vineyards a stone’s throw (c. one kilometre) from the Atlantic on – surprise, surprise – sandy soils (called Chão de Areia) over harder Chão Rijo soils formed of brownish limestone. It’s a very complex wine, round and textural but fresh, with hints of mushroom and bosky salt marsh and brine to its intensely stony, mineral palate. Unique. 11.5%

Monte Cascas Vinha da Padilha Fernão Pires 2010 (Tejo DOC)
Fernão Pires is planted in abundance in Tejo where it might be said of this variety familiarity breeds contempt. Not so with this wine.  It comes from an exceptionally aged bush vine vineyard (over 100 years old) in Almeirim and is located on grey alluvial clay soil.  Harvested in the fourth week of October when, no doubt, the grapes were super-ripe the resulting antique gold wine is rich and off dry, with 6.2g/l residual sugar.  However it remains well balanced with beautifully integrated gently rolling acidity to its chamomile-edged peach kernel, quince, waxy apricot and dried pear fruit.   Long and silkily creamy in the mouth this is a sensual wine over which to linger.  It was fermented in 100% French oak (old barrels) where it is aged for 12 months.  54 cases produced. 12%

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Transporting Ramsico Grapes for Monte Cascas Colares Red – Photo Provided by Casca Wines | All Rights Reserved

Casca Wines Monte Cascas Colares Ramisco 2009 (Colares)
Ramisco is also unique to Colares whose sandy soils famously protected this red grape from the ravages of phylloxera. Betraying its “skinny old guys” roots (it is sourced from the same vineyards as the Malvasia de Colares), this wine has opened up since I last tasted it in 2012.  An appetising nose puts me in mind of beetroot and fresh grated horseradish – lip-smacking and piquant. It shows crunchy, vivid wild bilberry and red fruits – pomegranate and riper scented red cherry and raspberry. A lingering finish reveals delicious mushroom/truffle undertones. Though leaner and firmer, it would appeal to lovers of Pinot Noir.  11%

Monte Cascas Vinha da Carpanha 2010 (DOC Dão)
Sourced from a 56 year old low yielding (2t/ha) vineyard in Penalva do Castelo at 526m on granitic soils with slate and clay this is a deep purple, opaque blend of 65% Touriga Nacional and 35% Jaen. Dark spices – liquorice and clove – and mocha oak mingle with sweeter bergamot, dried pine needles and juicy, well-defined black berry and cherry fruit. Though the tannins are fine-grained and the whole very polished this well structured, dark, brooding style needs time to unravel and shrug off its rather over-enthusiastic new oak (it spent 24 months in new French oak) to show at its best.  Cunha didn’t disagree with my take on the oak and, for subsequent Dão and Douro single vineyard vintages, believes that the oak is better balanced. 14.5%

Blend_All_About_Wine_Casca_Wines_Hélder_Cunha_Grapes

Grapes – Photo Provided by Casca Wines | All Rights Reserved

Monte Cascas Vinha do Vale 2009 (DOC Douro)
Sourced from a stone terraced 94 year old low yielding (1t/ha) traditional bush “em taça” field blend vineyard with more than 20 different grape varieties at 110m in the Torto Valley.  The grapes were partially de-stemmed (30% stems) and crushed directly to a lagares and following fermentation the wine was aged for 24 months in French new oak barrels.  In this warm, very dry vintage it is a deep aubergine hue with a quite forward balsamic nose with baked plum and black fruits.  In the mouth it’s fresher with an attractive minerality and juiciness to its spicy, eucalypt-edged black berry and currant fruit so it’s a little less baked on the palate than the nose.  Still, more forward than I’d expect.  14.5%

Monte Cascas Vinha das Cardosas 2010 (DOC Bairrada)
From a high density low yielding (2 ton/ha) vineyard which was planted in 1914 on calcacareous soils in Cordinhã.  With traditional bush “em taça” Baga vines with a smattering of Maria Gomes (3%) & Bical (1%), it underwent a suitably traditional ferment in lagares with 30% stems.  A tightly coiled, firm nose and palate has a green pine needle edge (30% stems) to its juicy but very precise, intensely concentrated damson fruit which means it mops up the (not so traditional) new French oak in which it was aged for 24 months with ease.  A chassis of fine grained tannins and very persistent but well integrated acidity carry a long, taut finish.  Youthfully austere Baga which I’d hold back for at least five years before sneaking another peek.  Very promising.  13%

Contacts
Casca Wines, Lda.
DNA Cascais – Ninho de Empresas.
Cruz da Popa
2645 – 449 Alcabideche – Cascais, Portugal
Tel.: (+351) 212 414 078
Email: info@cascawines.pt
Site: www.cascawines.pt
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Casca-Wines
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Renowned Master Sommelier João Pires shares some secrets, but not the big one!

Text Sarah Ahmed

Filmed in six countries over two years, the American documentary “Somm” follows four would-be Master Sommeliers as they endeavour to pass the “massively intimidating” Master Sommelier Exam and join the Court of Master Sommeliers – “one of the world’s most prestigious, secretive, and exclusive organizations”.  A member of the Court of Master Sommeliers since 2009, Lisbon-born João Pires has enjoyed an illustrious international career, latterly in London at two star Michelin restaurant London’s “Dinner by Heston“.  Currently taking time out with his baby daughter, I caught up with Pires who reflected on what it takes to get to the top.

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João Pires – Photo provided by João Pires | All Rights Reserved

1. A sommelier has been described as the bridge between the chef and the winemaker.  Do you agree?
Not really! A sommelier is the bridge between the winemaker and the guest.

2. In your opinion what qualities make a great sommelier? 
A great sommelier is one who understands that, above everything, it is the guest that counts and not his own pride.

3. And what makes a great wine list?
A great wine list is the one which sells. If it sells it is because it is guest- orientated and therefore the guests buy. It is definitely not the list designed for awards although some good awarded wine lists are very good. But not the other way around!

4. Ordering wine can be intimidating, especially when the wine list is huge.  How can diners get the best out of a sommelier?
Speak with the sommelier, challenge him. I have seen small, straightforward wine lists where one can hardly buy anything and I’ve seen 1000 bin and bigger wine lists which guests can easily go through if well guided by a good sommelier. It is not the size but the engineering of the wine list that counts (and the sommelier of course).

5. What is your approach to food and wine matching?
Understand the weight of the food, be guided by the main colour of the dish, acidity balance is the key. Understand the occasion and respect guests’ budget.

6. Have you ever encountered a dish which has defeated you in terms of coming up with a satisfactory wine match?
Oh yeah many times and sometimes it is almost impossible to find the wine which we think is the right match. Well in a table of four people there are at least four possible wine matching right? And which wine to go with a 6 cheese board from light goat to old and hard cheddar or salty blue cheese? And how to match a Chinese dinner for instance when they share so many different foods at the same time? The wine world needs to understand that food & wine matching is not always possible.

7. Is food and wine matching necessarily a compromise; do you welcome the trend towards more wines by the glass and tasting menus?
Yes I agree and by the glass is a good solution. But if a bottle has been ordered try to recommend anything ‘right in the middle’ like a Pinot Noir to go around the table if there is a fish and meat order for instance.

8. Carte blanche, what would you order (wine/food) for your last supper?
Champagne, more champagne and why not fresh oysters by the sea?

9. Celebrity chefs have transformed luxury hotel dining.  What is more important, the culture of the chef or the culture of the hotel or are they symbiotic.
Both are important and they collide so many times, not an easy one to manage. Chefs are good ‘restaurateurs’ and hotels boast good ‘management skills’.

10. Luxury hotels have an international client-base and you yourself are widely travelled having trained in Paris, worked the floor in Portugal, Toronto and London and trained sommeliers in Macau, Morocco and the Philipines.  What cultural (international) differences in wine consumption have stood out to you?
Working in a high profile three Michelin star restaurant in Paris is something you can never forget. The pressure and attention to detail is such that it is almost insane. In terms of wine consumption French wines dominate with the exception of those countries where wine is part of the culture, such as Italy, Spain or Portugal where people, understandably, drink local wines.

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João Pires – Photo provided by João Pires | All Rights Reserved

11. The American critic Robert Parker recently railed against a perceived fashion for obscure grapes on wine lists.  How important is it to introduce diners to new wine experiences and how easy is it to persuade high rollers not to order the predictably prestigious?
Who is Robert Parker? And what is the meaning of ‘obscure’? Anyway, more and more ABC (anything but Chardonnay or Cabernet) is over. Why not persuade high rollers with top prestige wines? We run a business and on my side there is nothing wrong to order and drink a DRC (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti), Château Pétrus or Champagne Salon. A shame I cannot do it myself on a regularly basis. Although on the other side less known grape varieties and different tastes at good prices is a paramount consideration because people are more open- minded than ever and keen on different tastes.

12. Port and Madeira are de rigueur on a classical wine list yet, outside Portugal, Portuguese table wines have struggled to make their mark.  This is starting to change.  What do Portuguese producers need to do to challenge this state of affairs?  
Well first of all Port and Madeira are not (unfortunately) de rigueur on a classical wine list and in this country they do not sell. But unfortified Portuguese wines are step by step coming up. It will take time for them to feature on top wine lists but things are getting better. Portuguese producers need to get together (some are already doing that and with huge success).

13. Which Portuguese regions, grapes, wine styles and producers stand out for you?
I must say there are good wines all over the country and better than ever. You can buy really good quality wines between 3 and 10 euros in Portugal which is quite difficult in UK supermarkets. Personally I love the Douro, Dão and Bairrada for reds and Alvarinho for white. But, having said that, one can find great wines in the Alentejo, Lisboa and other regions.

14. You have an enviable curriculum vitae.  Which of your professional accomplishments makes you most proud?
Becoming a Master Sommelier.

15. With even fewer Master Sommeliers than there are Masters of Wine (219 versus 313), it is notoriously hard to become a member of the Court of Master Sommeliers.  Why would you recommend it to others?
I’m not sure I’d recommend it.  It is so demanding and you sacrifice so many things in your personal life that it is hard to say go for it. But despite this you learn a lot and it is very rewarding indeed.

16. What impact does it have on a sommelier working in a one, two and three Michelin star restaurant? 
A huge impact. There is nothing more serious than wine for revenue and high service standards. And the higher the rank the more demanding and difficult it is. Very stressful but extremely rewarding (and I am not talking about wages)!

17. Which experience taught you the most and/or who has most influenced your career?
The European Sommelier Contest in 1994 which was sponsored at that time by Ruinart Champagne. I was representing Portugal and that was the moment I decided to dedicate my life to wine seriously. And my first stage in Paris in 1996 at the 2 Michelin-starred restaurant ‘Les Amassadeurs’, Hotel Crillon. I was blown away with the sommeliers and the chef sommelier Frederic Lebel.

18. How does it feel to have left the floor?  What do you miss most?  And what do you least miss?
I am feeling great after 25 years doing that. I must say I don’t really miss it a lot.  What I do miss is the daily exercise and, most of all, my guests.

19. What next?
Good question but I cannot tell you right now. I am enjoying my little 4 month old baby girl Isabella.  I have been feeling extremely happy and blessed.