Wines (12 View)

Orange Wine

• 40% Cerceal Branco, 30% Encruzado, 30% Malvasia Fina
• Hand-harvested from granite soils
• Spontaneous fermentation
• Macerated on the skins for 20 days
• Aged for five months in used French barrels
• Vegan-friendly

93 points Wine Enthusiast

Skin contact has given this rich wine its density. It is a full wine, hinting at spice and minerality. The wine's ripeness shows some aging potential. Drink this great wine from 2024.

Organic / Natural

Lightly smoky/cedarwood aroma, suggesting a touch of positive reduction. But also the stoniness that comes from granite soils. Underneath those complexing notes there's pure, piercing citrus and green fruits. There's marked tension and slight chalky effect in the dry texture. Seems austere – in a good way – and there's no lack of fruit at the core. Bone dry and a touch salty on the finish. Just so salivating. And then an unexpected creaminess at the very end of the long finish. Piercing purity.

Organic / Natural

95 points Wine Advocate
The old-vine white 2021 Vinhas Velhas Branco was produced with the fruit from some 15 small plots of old vines aged between 60 and 130 years of age and planted with a myriad of old varieties (Síria, Bical, Fernão Pires, Encruzado, Arinto, Cerceal and Malvasia Fina) on slopes with granite soils. It's inspired by the natural vinification of some Burgundy wines. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in 500-liter barrels for 12 months and a further 10 months in stainless steel. It has moderate ripeness and alcohol (12%) with a pH of 3.33 and 5.29 grams of acidity. It has an incredible nose that is nuanced, complex, elegant and changing, with notes of herbs, wild flowers and earth. It has a very tasty and saline palate that is subtle with great purity of flavors, clean and precise. It reminds me of some whites from Ganevat. 7,900 bottles produced. As always, it was bottled with full malolactic, unfiltered and unfined. It was bottled in April 2023.

Organic / Natural

93 points Wine Advocate
The old-vine red 2021 Vinhas Velhas Tinto comes from different plots of mixed varieties, 75% of them Baga, Jaen and Tinta Amarela and the rest some 20 old varieties, some almost lost, Marufo, Tinta Pinheira, Negro Mouro, Tinta Carvalha, Bastardo, Alfrocheiro, Touriga Nacional, Alicante Bouschet and many others. The fermentation was inspired by Henri Jayer, a cold soak and a soft vinification, he calls an infusion. It matured in 225-, 400-, 500- and 600-liter oak barrels for 18 months. It has 13.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.69 and 6.01 grams of acidity. Madeira told me that the search is "for a wine with intense flavors, depth, mineral, fresh and with salivating saltiness, a wine for the table." In 2021, the wines have lower alcohol, and somehow, this wine feels a little more marked by the oak despite the fact that the oak was all used. It has fine tannins and good freshness, very tasty flavors and a fine thread. 7,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2023.

António Madeira is one of the leading quality producers in Dão despite being quite young in the regions. He came back from France and established his operation in Dão in 2010. He has seven hectares of vines spread over 20 different plots, five of them old—50 to 130 years of age—in the villages of Santa Marinha, São Martinho, Paços da Serra, Vales and Vodra e Pinhanços. He works biodynamically but has no certification. The wines are all fermented with indigenous yeasts, with no oenological products and minimal sulfur. He now produces 60,000 bottles—up from 30,000—since he enlarged the winery in 2021, and he grew with entry-level wines from purchased wines. This is the first time his wines have been tasted and reviewed by The Wine Advocate, and it was certainly the coup de coeur in this article. The vintage seems to have a big impact in the quality of the wines, and the ones from 2021 were clearly better than the ones from 2020 and 2022.

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural

Alvarelhão (60%), Jaen (20%), Trincadeira (10%), Fernão Pires (10%).
Alvarelhão had 10 days skin maceration. Jaen and Trincadeira were macerated together for 4 days.

Bright and open colour. Wine with personality, however it is light and fruity, with an intense aroma of red fruits, such as raspberry and wild strawberry. Chillable!

The grapes come from a vineyard with an average age of about 50 years, with granitic soil, and an average altitude of 400m, located in Mouraz. Manual harvest of white and red varieties together, in the middle of September. The grapes were placed in stainless steel vats, after which they were destemmed and the must was spontaneously vinified, with temperature control. It aged during the winter in vats.

Dark cherries, ripe blackberries, mocha, violets and sweet spices on the nose. It’s medium- to full-bodied with firm tannins. Structured, with bright acidity and a chewy finish.

It's a touch ironic that Portuguese reds have been somewhat of a rarity on these shores, considering the long history the country has of producing exciting wine. Here's a chance to jump in and see what the quaint country next to the Atlantic has to offer. - PJ

Blend of: Tinta Roriz, Periquita (Castelao), and Cabernet Sauvignon

With flavors of dried figs, apricots and crushed hazlenuts, this tawny port -- a blend of mostly old vintages with a few more recent annums blended in to liven things up a bit -- manages to purport richness on the palate, but with a fresh, fine finish that feels deliciously bright instead of weighty. We love this with a post-meal plate of salty, nutty cheeses and nuts, or served slightly chilled for a pre-dinner appetite rev. -- PJ

Silky and plush, this tawny sees about 3 years of barrel aging in small oak casks, giving it a rich, amber hue and deliciously decadent notes of butterscotch, toffee, vanilla, and dried fig. For port-lovers, this a great every-day sipper for the price -- a little bit of luxury in the middle of the week! -- PJ

Young, grapey and robust. Its flavors are dominated by raisin, plum and chocolate. Simple, straightforward and delicious, with a moderate grip. - WS84