Tinto Colheita 2014 - Dão Serra da Estrela – Red – Antonio Madeira

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.

2014 was a late year, marked by heavy rains of September. Manual and careful harvest enabled to pick only the healthy and ripe grapes. 40% of the production was lost in the harvest.

Tinto Colheita 2014 is a red wine produced from the blending of several  vines where there are many indigenous grape varieties, especially the Alfrocheiro and Touriga Nacional grape varieties.

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.

Alcoholic fermentation took place in open vats with traditional treading and began naturally, with the yeast from the vine itself, to express its identity in the purest form.

Very little extraction was sought. After pressing, the wine was placed directly into used French oak barrels, where malolactic fermentation took place until the following spring and where it aged for 18 months. Bottling took place in August 2016.

TASTING NOTES

Complex nose, notes of fresh fruit, floral touch, spices. « Vin de soif », tasty, fresh and elegant.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

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

VINEYARDS : Mix of young and old vineyards          AVERAGE VINE AGE : 15/50 years old

GRAPE VARIETIES : Mainly Alfrocheiro and Touriga Nacional but also field blend of several grape varieties

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

HARVEST PERIOD : End of September 2014          HARVEST METHOD : Hand picked

FERMENTATION : Indigenous yeasts, open vats with controlled temperature

MALOLACTIC : Used barrels         

AGEING : 18 months in used French oak barrels (225 L) and 3 months in stainless steel tanks

BOTTLED : August 2016

 ALCOHOL : 12.8%          PH    3,64          TOTAL ACIDITY (G/L)    5,69          VOLATILE ACIDITY (G/L)    0,62

FREE SO2 AT BOTTLING (MG/L)    23          TOTAL SO2 (MG/L)    64         RESIDUAL SUGAR (G/L)    0,6

VOLUMIC MASS (G/ML)    0,9915

PRODUCTION : 1800 bottles

FOOD SUGGESTIONS : Lamb, duck, codfish.