Quinta do Mouro 2019
Quinta do Mouro, owned by Miguel Louro, is located in Estremoz, in the north of Alentejo, and consists of 45 hectares of vineyards where it produces 120,000 bottles per year. The wines have a slightly rustic profile that requires time in the bottle, so they are aged in the bottle for several years before going to market.
Vinification and Ageing: Manual harvest into 20 kg boxes. After total destemming, the grapes are trodden by foot in a wine press for three days with cold pre-fermentation maceration. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature of 24-26ºC, followed by pressing in wooden baskets with a vertical hydraulic press. Aged for 14 months in 300L Portuguese oak barrels, 50% new and 50% used, followed by a minimum of 3 years in the bottle.
Producer's Tasting Notes: Intense ruby in colour, it is austere and of great aromatic complexity. The palate, with a powerful but elegant structure, highlights the excellent balance of very pure black fruit notes and some more vegetal, earthy and spicy notes, ending round, long and full of class. The acidity is just right, giving it evident freshness and minerality, which are unusual in the hot Alentejo region. This, combined with the full, fine and elegant tannins, gives the wine a very strong identity and remarkable ability to pair well with food.
Grape varieties: 35% Alicante Bouschet, 25% Aragonez, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Touriga Nacional, 10% Trincadeira
The eponymous red 2019 Quinta do Mouro is a blend of 35% Alicante Bouschet, 25% Aragonez, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% each Touriga Nacional and Trincadeira that fermented in stainless steel and matured in Portuguese oak barrels, 50% of them new, for 14 months and was kept in bottle for three years before it was released. It has good ripeness, 14.1% alcohol, a pH of 3.4 and six grams of acidity. It's a phenomenal vintage for this bottling; it's serious, old-styled, spicy and earthy, with notes of berries, herbs and spices. It's medium- to full-bodied, with character and the elegant rusticity that is the signature of this wine. A very complete vintage, it is balanced and has very good aging potential. 19,000 bottles produced.
