Rosé 2016 – Dão Serra da Estrela – Antonio Madeira

 

History has taught us that Dão belongs to those places that Man has long-recognised as exceptional for producing great wines. Despite its enormous potential to produce red and white wines, it is a region that continues to stubbornly remain out of the limelight.

António Madeira, who is French of Portuguese descent, has his roots in the foothills of Serra da Estrela. Since 2010, António Madeira has been researching, the places in this sub-region, that our ancestors elected as the best for vine, those that we might call the «Grands Crus of the Dão highlands» and found a series of old vines that are distinctive because of the authenticity of their grape varieties, the characteristics and nuances of their granite soils and sun exposures.

2016 was an excellent year thanks to exceptional weather conditions that allowed harvesting healthy and ripe grapes.

Rosé 2016 comes from a blend of old vines (50 years). The vineyards are cultivated exclusively to make rosé. It is a field blend of about twenty varieties. The aim is to make a gastronomic rosé, focused on the expression of its terroir.

VINIFICATION

The vinification philosophy was to respect the grapes and nature and focus on seeking the expression of the terroir of Serra da Estrela, thus, no other product was used except sulphur.

After direct pressing, gravity decanting lasted 2 days, without use of enzymes or enological products. Alcoholic fermentation took place in a stainless steel tank and began naturally, with the yeast from the vine itself, to express its identity in the purest form.

2016 rosé aged for 5 months in a stainless steel tank. Bottling took place in February 2017.

TASTING NOTES

Gastronomic wine, a dry rosé, aroma with notes of granite wrapped in fresh red fruit. Mouth with structure, fresh, saline and tasty, granitic long and persistent finish.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

PRODUCER : António Madeira          REGION : Dão – Serra da Estrela          SOIL TYPE : Granite

VINEYARDS : Old vineyards           AVERAGE VINE AGE : 50 years old

GRAPE VARIETIES : Field blend of 20 native grape varieties (Baga, Jaen, Rufete, Tinta Amarela...)

ALT. FROM SEA LEVEL : 500 m          PRUNING METHOD : Guyot          

HARVEST PERIOD : September 2016          HARVEST METHOD : Hand picked

FERMENTATION : Indigenous yeasts, stainless steel tank

MALOLACTIC : None     

AGEING : 5 months in stainless steel tanks

BOTTLED : February  2017

 ALCOHOL : 12.9%          PH    3.34          TOTAL ACIDITY (G/L)      5.90        VOLATILE ACIDITY (G/L)    0.30

FREE SO2 AT BOTTLING (MG/L)       23       TOTAL SO2 (MG/L)     70        RESIDUAL SUGAR (G/L)    0.5

VOLUMIC MASS (G/ML)    0.9887

PRODUCTION : 1200 bottles

FOOD SUGGESTIONS : Oysters, seafood dishes, oven cooked fish, poultry and light meats.