Quinta dos Carvalhais Dão Tinto 2023
Ruby red in colour, the nose is brimming with notes of blackberry and plum, with floral hints of violet, menthol and a subtle spiciness. The palate is defined by vibrant acidity and well-integrated oak, while velvety tannins create a smooth mouth feel, and the juicy fruit flavours persist into an elegant finish.
This 105-hectare estate, situated at 465-500 metres above sea level, has 50 hectares planted under vine on predominantly granite soils. The warm days and cool nights at these elevations slow down the grape ripening process, creating wines with vibrant fruit and a signature freshness. The sustainably farmed vineyards are divided into a multitude of different plots matched to specific grape varieties and harvested by hand at different times.
The grapes were hand harvested by variety and plot, before being destemmed, crushed and then gravity fed into stainless-steel fermentation tanks. Each variety was fermented separately for around eight days at an average temperature of 27ºC. 75% of the wine was aged in 225-litre used French oak barrels for twelve months, the remainder in stainless steel tanks. The final blend was then assembled and lightly fined and filtered before bottling.
| RRP | £17.49 |
| Bottle size | 75cl |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Alcoholic strength | 13% |
| Country | Portugal |
| Region | Dão |
| Grapes | Touriga Nacional 40%, Alfrocheiro 37%, Tinta Roriz 12% |
| Residual sugar (g/l) | 2 |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Natural Cork |
| Winemaker | Beatriz Cabral de Almeida |
Quinta dos Carvalhais is credited with spearheading the quality renaissance of Dão wines in the early ‘90s and continues to make some of the region's finest wines today. After being purchased by Sogrape in 1988, significant improvements were made to the winery and vineyards, including the replanting of near-extinct Dão varieties such as Encruzado, a grape now heralded as one of Portugal’s finest. Current Quinta dos Carvalhais winemaker Beatriz Cabral de Almeida continues to champion these varieties, making an impressive range of estate wines that show lovely depth, vibrant fruit, and exceptional elegance.
The estate’s 50 hectares of vineyards are mainly planted predominantly with white indigenous varieties; each matched to a specific vineyard plot. Circled by mountains and located 465 to 500 metres above sea level, a combination of granite soils and warm days followed by cool nights lends great ripeness and elegance to the wines. Quinta dos Carvalhais follows viticulture practices in harmony with nature, grazing sheep in the vineyards both to boost soil health and reduce the use of herbicides to a minimum. The modern gravity-flow winery is filled with numerous small stainless-steel fermentation tanks, allowing plots to be vinified separately. Typical of the Dão, all Quinta dos Carvalhais’s wines undergo oak ageing, with Beatriz expertly employing a mixture of new and used barrels of varying sizes to subtly integrate the influence of oak.
Quinta dos Carvalhais’s single-variety wines are complex blends of different plots on the estate, vinified separately before blending. The Encruzado, partially fermented and aged for eight months in French oak barrels of varying sizes, marries the vibrancy of this variety with delicious toasty notes from the oak. The Touriga Nacional showcases this prized indigenous variety's signature black fruit and violet characters alongside a well-integrated spiciness from 12 months in French oak.
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