2018 Mouchão Dom Rafael Red

Youthful but with hints of mature, dark, plummier tones. Mild dark chocolate with spicy peppermint undertones, complex fattiness from limited ageing in new and aged wood. This Dom Rafael is soft, delicately fruity, lightly textured, fresh and shows a wonderfully persistent finish.

---

Viticulture

Responsible husbandry and care in the vineyard is critical to harvesting the best Mouchao fruit and sustaining their healthy bee population. Aragonez, Trincadeira, Castelao & Alciante Bouschet from well drained alluvial loams (Adega, Ponte das Canas, Varzea Estreita and Carrapetos vineyards), Mediterranean red loams underlaid with calico chalk "Dourada" or skeletal flintstone clay loams (Barragem and Mouchao Velho vineyards) - all averaging > 20 years at harvest

---

Vinification

All red wines are vinified in open stone troughs (lagares). Whole bunches, including stems are included in the maceration process making harvest timing especially critical. The hand-picked bunches are food-trodden twice daily and allowed to ferment for roughly 4-6 days. The young fermented wine undergoes malo-lactic fermentation in the autumn, in large wooden tonéis (5,000ltr vats) and in small new (or used) oak barriques (up to 25% of the final blend). It is racked off its coarse lees in mind-winter and them remains undisturbed for a further 12-15 months. Once bottled the wine is matured for a further 6-9 months before being released.

---

Recommendation

Delicous with most meats, especially veal and lamb, but also with Portugal's famed bacalhau