Quinta da Pellada Casa

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Dão is quickly becoming the most sought-after region for Portuguese winemakers to venture into; according to many, it’s one of the world’s most perfect microclimates: mountains protect it from continental heat to the east and Douro’s heat to north, and cool Atlantic breezes come inland to keep the overall temperatures more regulated, making for wines with bright acidity, ethereal aromatics, and compelling complexity. The DO’s granitic soils allow indigenous grapes to shine through in the wines, and provide firm, crunchy tannin against the bright fruit. Alvaro Castro has noted that “if God were to design a wine-growing region, what he would come up with would look a lot like the Dão.”   There is no modern Dão without one of the region’s longtime legends, Alvaro Castro, whose estate encompasses two small properties (or “quintas”) known as Pellada and Saes. Alvaro makes wine here with his daughter Maria, carrying on a tradition of winemaking on this property that dates to the 16th century! Together, they have resisted the internationalization push of the ‘80s and ‘90s, instead doubling down on their slow-wine approach, using local varieties grown and crafted in the true Dāo “field blend” style.    

RATING HISTORY:

2019 92W&S, 91WA; 2017 96WA, 2013 95WA, 93+VFTC

GRAPE:

100% Field Blend. The field blend comes from a single plot of old vines,. It is estimated that there are about 47 different grapes, mainly Alfrocheiro, Touriga Nacional and Baga. Sustainably grown vines planted in granite base with lines of sand and clay with strong presence of rose and white quartz rocks at 550 m (1,805 ft) elevation.

VINIFICATION AND AGING:

Wine was aged in eight-year-old French barrels for about 28 months.

LOCATION, SOIL, CLIMATE:

This wine is another of the lessons of the winery in terroir: this plot of Pellada is the "most exposed" of the three and has more compact soil with a little clay in addition to granite, the intense presence of white and rose quartz and that which have more hours of sunshine per day.

TASTING NOTES:

Intense garnet color. Bergamot in tea, violet in orange peel and berries with cacao and vanilla. Very expressive, elegant with generous tannins. Very chewy and gastronomic - Robert Parker

ALCOHOL CONTENT:

13.0%

UPC CODE:

5606686001529