Monte da Casteleja Vinho Tinto

A translucent plum hue with a spicy nose with suggestions of mellow, sweet, dried fig, catering chocolate and baked red fruit that follow through in the mouth together with plum, perfumed blueberries, pithy redcurrant and pomegranate syrup. Spicy, textured tannins, a touch chalky, bring energy to the glass and, for a hot year, it has good balancing acidity. I’ve tasted several vintages over the years and they are remarkably consistent and quite distinctive – mellow in flavour, with a slow burn energy and wild edge. 2,000 bottles produced. (Tasting notes by Sarah Ahmed)

Single varietal Bastardo

Located in Lagos, Monte da Casteleja has natural benefits in abundance. With ocean to two sides, the estate is exposed to cold northerly winds and, with more cloud cover, the sunshine hours are a touch lower – 2,800-2,900 hours/year. It also experiences more humidity, which reduces hydric stress, as do the vineyard’s moisture-retentive clay and limestone soils. In 2020, the estate red is a single varietal Bastardo from 20-year-old vines, which yield a shy 3 tons/hectare. The grapes were destemmed, foot trodden and fermented with cultured organic yeasts in stainless steel vats with temperature control. The wine matured in 500l French oak barrels for 6 months.

Serve at a temperature of 16 to 18ºC. Drink 2022-2025

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