Intense garnet colour and aromas of black fruit, plum jam, raw tobacco leaf, mint, spices with hints of Touriga Nacional 'florality'. Beautifully balanced and rich, possessing surprising freshness and structed, exuberant tannins that will help guarantee its longevity. Despite it's considerable ageing potential, Ponte 2017 is showing beautifully in its youth.
Viticulture
Responsible husbandry and care in the vineyard is crucial to achieving the best Mouchão fruit and sustaining our healthy bee population. Well-drained alluvial soils are mixed with red Mediterranean loams (Adega and Ponte das Canas Vineyards), averaging some 14 years at harvest. Vineyard plots and varieties are harvested seperatley. A complex and 'full' Touriga Franca was sourced from the 11 year old Ponte das Canas vineyard. The fragrant Touriga Nacional and the meaty Syrah were both sourced from 15 year old Vinha da Adega (between the winery and the Almadafe Creek).
Though this is relatively high in alcohol, the 2017s are exceptionall well balanced. Thier structure, freshness and firm acidity being a signature of the terroir in Mouchão's valley floor.
Vinification
At Mouchão we vinify in open stone troughs (lagares) without separating stems, making timing especially critical, as we need to find a balance between sugars, acids, overall phenological maturity (aromas, colour, tannins etc) as well as stalk lignification. Whole bunches are hand-picked and transported in 20kg boxes to the winery, where they are foot-trodden and allowed to ferment for roughly 5-7 days. In 2015, tannins, colour and stem maturity were close to perfect. The fermented wine underwent malolactic fermentation in large wooden tonéis (5000l vats). Racked in mid-winter, the wine remained undisturbed for a further three years. Once bottled, it was matured in our cellars for a further 10 months before being released.
Recommendation
Perfect accompaniment to roasts or game. Consume at roughly 17ºC. Decant or open 12-24 hours beforehand, particularly before 2030.