Quinta dos Carvalhais Dão Touriga Nacional 2021
Ruby-red in colour with intense aromas of ripe blackberry and black cherry, married with floral and herbal notes. Elegant and balanced on the palate, with smooth tannins providing structure and body, the wine has a refreshing acidity that carries the complex flavours of ripe blackberry, plum and forest floor through to the long finish.
The 105-hectare estate’s 50 hectares of vineyards are planted with indigenous Portuguese 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 viticultural 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.
Touriga Nacional from three different plots was hand harvested plot by plot into 20kg crates. Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes were destemmed and gently crushed into stainless-steel tanks. Fermentation took about 10 days at an average temperature of around 27°C. The Touriga Nacional from one particular plot underwent a post-fermentation maceration for a further eight days. The wine was then aged for 12 months in a combination of used and new 225-litre French oak barrels sourced from a selection of coopers, before the final blend was assembled and the wine was lightly fined, filtered and bottled.
| RRP | £26.99 |
| Bottle size | 75cl |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Alcoholic strength | 13% |
| Awards | Silver, IWSC, 2025 |
| Country | Portugal |
| Region | Dão |
| Grapes | Touriga Nacional 100% |
| Residual sugar (g/l) | 0.1 |
| 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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