2013 Mouchão Tonel No 3-4

Complex spices and minty freshness displayed by this wine continue to surprise, given the extreme growing temperatures. Intense garnet colour and aromas of black fruit, Indian ink, pencil lead, black olives, mint and spices. Its structured, exuberant tannins help guarantee its longevity. Despite its considerable ageing potential it is showing beautifully in its youth. This wine is emblematic of what Alicante Bouschet can achieve under the perfect Mouchao growing conditions.

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Viticulture

Responsible husbandry and care in the vineyard is critical to achieving the best Mouchao fruit and sustaining their healthy bee population. Alicante Bouschet grapes are sourced exclusively from the well-drained, alluvial loams of the Carrapetos vineyard - 25 years old at harvest. Average yields for this vineyard are 4.03t/ha since 2010.

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Vinification

The wine is vinified in open stone troughs (lagares) without separating stems, making timing especially critical, as we seek to find a delicate balance between sugars, acids, overall phenological maturity (aromas, colour, tannins, etc.) as well as stalk lignification. Produced only in years when optimum ripening conditions are attained these prized grapes are foot-trodden and fermented for 4-6 days and racked straight into two 5,000 litre tonels (No's 3 and 4), the winemaker's choice for holding the year's best Alicante Bouschets. The wine remains there for a minimum of three years and is matured for a further two in bottle.

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Recommendation

A perfect accompaniment to roast meat or game, likely to continue to improve for decades to come.