Quinta do Montalto - The Uncondemned (Não Condenado) 2020 (750ml)

The wine is stunning and unique. It starts off rather light and juicy with no sharp tannins. But you know there is something special here the moment you put your nose in the glass. Cacao? Black Cherries? Tobacco? In the mouth, it's silky and rich. It's not about bright acidity but more of a matted impression of black fruit and woodsy notes. The texture on your palate is silky and rich and the finish is remarkable.

The wine evolvse in your glass. The flavors change as it presents you with a slightly different faces over several hours (or days). I came back to it on the third day and found it more enchanting than when I first opened it. Remarkable.

 

As with so many ancient wine regions, it's traditional in Alentejo for families to keep vines in a small plot at home, basically back-yard vines. These old plots are often forgotten, but sometimes hold some of the oldest vines in the region. 

Here we have such a vineyard, where Andre Gomes-Pereira & Portuguese Story intervened to save some of these ancient twisted vines. They would otherwise have been condemned, hence the name Não Condenado (Uncondemned). The grapes (predominantly Fernão Pires & Trincadeira) were sourced from Luís de Sousa’s 150 year-old “backyard” vineyard. They were naturally fermented and unfiltered.

The reds are made using the traditional Portuguese method known as “palhete”, fermenting red and white grapes together.