Winter 2024 Wine Club
The six club wines are detailed below. Winter is red wine season for many, and these four reds take us on a journey from the Lisboa wine region in the South to Monção e Melgaço at Portugal’s northern border with Spain. Not to be outdone, the two white wines shine from the Douro Valley and Bairrada regions.
2019 Mira do Ó Druida Tinto
Nuno Mira do Ó is a one-man force in the world of artisan Portuguese wines. His wines are near-legendary in Portugal and sought after by restaurants, collectors, and other winemakers. He’s a featured vigneron in the Winter 2024 wines, beginning with his flagship red, Druida Tinto. I’m fortunate enough to represent his work in the United States, and to bring you the current release of Druida Tinto from the Dão wine region (wine map here). I’ve featured wines from the Dão in almost every Club release as it is one of Portugal’s most ideally located regions. It has highly attractive geographic and climatic conditions for growing grapes and is home to some of the country’s most exciting wineries. The impact of the Atlantic Ocean as a cooling agent joins forces with the Serra da Estrela mountain range and both help to moderate warm summer nights with cool evenings. At 1,500 feet of elevation, the vineyard position also helps lengthen the ripening season and mitigate heat. Mira do Ó vineyards in Dão sit on granite bedrock with clay top soil (given the proximity to the Dão River) and are ideal for growing the Druida Tinto varietal blend of Jaen, Alfrocheiro, and Touriga Nacional.
Harvests are done by hand and fermentation done in open lagar with traditional foot treading. Each varietal is fermented separately with 50% whole bunch. The 2019 Druida Tinto blend is 40% Jaen, 30% Alfrocheiro, and 30% Touriga Nacional. The wine ages for 18 months in French oak barrels, with only 10% of the wine seeing new oak and 90% used to highlight the terroir, not the wood. The wine was bottled in June 2021. The wine shows black pepper, cinnamon, cherry, and violet flowers. It has elegance and structure in the mouth with present, but silky tannins.
2018 V Puro Doravante Tinto
Puro, the Portuguese word for “pure”. V Puro is the passion project of two friends and business partners, Nuno Mira do Ó and João Soares. The duo came together through an intense search to find their view of the purest vineyards to showcase Portugal’s native grape varietals. They found their perfect site in the Bairrada wine region, securing vineyards with vines aged between 80 and 120 years. Their focus is on bringing the combination of intense flavors that only old vines can produce with a freshness and elegance the Bairrada is known for. Looking at a map of Portugal’s wine regions (click here) you’ll see the Bairrada (light blue shades on the map) is located between Porto to the north and Lisbon to the south, nestled against the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic’s cooling influence combines with the warmth of central Portugal’s Mediterranean climate to create one of Europe’s prime grape growing locales.
Doravante Tinto features an equal 50/50 blend of Baga and Touriga Nacional, two of Portugal’s most famous indigenous grape varietals. In 2018, Nuno picked the grapes of both varietals on the same day and fermented the grapes together in the same vat where they then aged for 10 months. The result is a wine that shows delicate fruit characteristics, yet is full of elegance and depth. The wine is drinking beautifully now, but has aging potential of more than a decade of development ahead. The wine reveals notes of cherry, pepper, and tobacco with a hint of wet clay. In the mouth it has a herbal fresh-ness, with very fine tannins and long after taste.
2021 Sou Tinto
Portugal’s Vinho Verde wine region is best known for producing white wines of light color and body with immediate drinking pleasure. It’s Alvarinho country. Go back a few decades, and for a century before that, and you’ll find the northern region of Portugal covered in red grape varieties. You may recognize this label and the name “Sou”, Portuguese for, “I am”. Club Members received a bottle of the Sou Alvarinho in the Fall 2023 shipment. The wine comes from the most forward-thinking estate in Northern Portugal, Quinta de Santiago, located at the very northern border with Spain. This is a sub region of Vinho Verde called, Monção e Melgaço. Situated just south of the Minho River (border of Portugal and Spain), this sub region is a hot spot for artisan wines given it’s favorable location in the Minho River Valley yet still close proximity with the Atlantic Ocean to the west and several mountain ranges to the east.
Sou is a joint venture between two dear friends Joana Santiago, 4th generation proprietor of Quinta de Santiago, and Nuno Mira do Ó. Joana Santiago’s family has been farming this land since 1899. While the majority of the Quinta (farm) is planted to white varietals, she has, along with Nuno’s guidance, replanted several parcels with native red varietals that once populated the region. These varietals include Alvarelhão, Pedral, Borraçal, and Cainho.
2021 Tinto is 70% Alvarelhão, known as Brançelho in neighboring Spain. The pair have planted a parcel in the traditional “ramada” vineyard formation. 2021 was a wet, difficult harvest, with grapes harvested by hand. About half of the grapes were fermented whole cluster and fermenation was in steel vats with elevage in used oak barrels. The wine is my kind of juice. Medium color with fresh and elegant nose with notes of wild berries, spices, and herbs. Very fresh in the mouth with vibrant acidity and very soft tannins.
2018 Quinta de Sant’Ana Tinto
Rounding out our winter reds is a blend from the Lisboa wine region and the area’s most renown wine property, Quinta de Sant’Ana. Nestled in rolling vineyards between the Atlantic Ocean and Lisbon, the Quinta (Portuguese word for “farm”) is a breathtaking property. James and Ana Frost, along with their seven sons and additional family members, infuse the Quinta with a genuine spirit and harness the property’s rich history of wine production and hospitality. This is paradise on the Lisbon coast, and an easy 45-minute drive from the city’s historic center. While close in proximity, it feels like you’re transported to a different century. The Quinta hosts weddings and other events, and is an incredible place to spend a day strolling the vineyards, or several days of easy country vacation.
Quinta de Sant’Ana produces a wide range of wines and is certified organic in the vineyards. With deep care for the land, James’s belief is that great wines are born from great farming. Situated less than 10 miles from the Atlantic coast and 300 to 450 feet above sea level, the Quinta is blessed with a unique microclimate of cool nights, cloudy, misty mornings, and sunny afternoons. Hot summers days impact this microclimate less given the exposure of the vineyards in the valleys and ridges of the rolling, contoured hills. The Atlantic climate keeps a cool layer of morning fog draped along the vines.
The team in the winery is headed by noted winemaker, Antonio Maçanita, who has hands in great projects in Douro Valley, Alentejo, and the Azores Islands as well. Minimal intervention guides all decisions in the winery allowing the natural characteristics of the terroir to shine through in the wines. 2018 Tinto is dominated by Touriga Nacional, Portugal’s most widely planted red variety. There is also Aragonez and Merlot in the blend. Harvest is done by hand and all grapes are destemmed and crushed then ferment in stainless steel tank. The profile is soft given 30% of the wine ages in stainless and 70% in used oak, showing the purity of the fruit. Just 10 months before bottling. On the nose I get a fresh red fruit nose with eucalyptus and mint, with a floral hint from Touriga Nacional. Supple juicy palate with medium body, tannins and present acidity. This is food wine for me, though it is quite flexible with your preferred range of dishes.
2021 Pormenor Reserva Branco
Welcome to one of Portugal’s iconic white wines, Pormenor Reserva Branco. Pormenor means “details” in Portuguese, and Pedro Coelho, owner and winemaker of Pormenor is hyper focused on the details that count when delivering incredible wines. Pedro is one of my original producer partners, a great family man, and a joy to open a bottle of wine with. One detail he insists upon is old vines, but in Douro Superior they are very hard to find. Douro Superior, sometimes referred to as Upper Douro is a relatively “new” development in Douro Valley wines… a bit of an oxymoron when speaking of a region that has a wine history spanning more than 2,000 years. But, it wasn’t until the 1960s when electricity arrived to parts of the Douro Superior that there was enough modern infrastructure and winemaking comforts that allowed for high quality wines to flourish. Most of the Douro prior to that time period was focused on port production with the primary growing regions further west toward Porto. Unfortified table wines were an afterthought and largely made from excess grapes not used in the more lucrative port wines.
In more recent years a relatively new crop of younger generation winemakers seeking different growing conditions began realizing the terroir of the Upper Douro was yielding dry table wines (port is fortified) of distinction. Thus, the majority of the vineyards in the Douro Superior are relatively young. Pedro’s meticulous search and a bit of good fortune allowed him to secure vineyards in the Douro Superior with vines ranging in age from 40 to 95 years. The qualities that old vines impart through the magic of Mother Nature yields a much different experience in our glass.
The first vintage of Pormenor was 2013, and Pedro’s approach to his wines starts in the vineyards. Another detail he refuses to bend on is the practice of organic farming to promote the health of his precious old vines. The 2021 Pormenor Reserva Branco is sourced from their oldest vineyards touching upon 100 years. Vines face north and southeast and are at elevations between 1,800 to 2,135 feet above sea level - optimal positioning for ripening grapes in this climate. The vineyard is planted as a field blend and dominated by Rabigato at 85%. The remainder is Malvasia Fina which has a gentle wax and smoke character to it.
Harvests are by hand and Pedro’s aim is to make wines that reflect the beauty of the vines and land and thus another self-appointed detail is to stay out of Mother Nature’s way. In winemaking terms, this is minimal intervention and letting the fruit take its natural course toward the wine we are enjoying. Upon arriving at the winery the grapes are gently pressed with the juice decanting for 24 hours at low temperature. Fermentation is in large format, 225-liter used French oak barrels. It is spontaneous and natural with native yeasts only and no temperature control, additional hallmarks of minimal intervention winemaking. The wine then ages in the same barrels for 11 months on the fine lees (dead yeast cells). Aging wines on the lees can add body and additional flavors and is a practice Pedro does with his white wines. The wine is then naturally stabilized and is unfiltered, thus it can develop natural sediment after time in the bottle.
Pormenor Reserva Branco is a “benchmark” reference for Douro Valley white wine and is often featured on wine lists at fine dining restaurants. The wine is vibrant and on the nose displays floral aromas, citrus, green apple, pineapple, and green herbs. Tasting the wine reveals the tension and intensity that old vine wines can impart along with balanced and elegant acidity. A light touch of wood is noticeable given the time in barrel, and the wine will certainly benefit from more time aging in bottle. The wine pairs wonderfully with foods that have medium fat content. Fish, white meats, soft cheeses, and risotto would be home runs.
2021 V Puro Doravante Branco
Old vines and great genetic materials are the most sought after assets for any European vigneron, and Nuno and his business partner, João, are blessed to work with both in Bairrada. Old vines dig deep into these clay and limestone soils and offer a level of complexity that younger vines or inferior clones can’t achieve. This rich natural material, along with V Puro wines being sustainably farmed with no synthetic chemicals used in the vineyard or winery, allows you to experience and enjoy them as “pure” expressions of the land and vines. The 2021 growing season in Bairrada was characterized by alternating very low and very high temperatures in winter and spring. The summer was generally cool, although there were some hot days. The vine cycle was generally longer and September was marked by above-average rainfall. These grapes where harvested in mid September.
2021 Doravante Branco is a blend of native varietals Bical (75%), Arinto (20%), and Cercial (5%). The grapes are harvested by hand and pressed with whole bunch (stems get pressed with the grapes) and the resulting juice fermented slowly using natural yeasts. The Arinto ferments in stainless steel and the Bical and Cercial in 225-liter used French oak barrels. The wines then ages 12 months on the fermentation lees and was bottled in September 2022. The resulting wine has deep minerality in the nose with notes of chipped stone and gunpowder. Beautiful citrus notes surrounded by suggestions of butter and spices to add complexity. In the mouth, it is very creamy yet fresh and light on its feet. Great texture and very long finish. Excellent to accompany soft cheeses, fish, octopus, and white meats.