Quinta de Fonte Souto, Florao Red, 2018

THE WINE

The Florão Red and White represent the most approachable wine style from the Fonte Souto estate, made with all the attention to detail and care of the other estate wines, but with a more youthful profile intended for drinking young. Their freshness, balance and structure clearly identify them as wines born of the unique Fonte Souto terroir.

VINTAGE OVERVIEW

The winter was cold and initially quite dry, but from the end of February and until June, rainfall levels were above the 30-year average, particularly during March and April. A wet spring delayed the vegetative cycle, and this was the case right up to the vintage. Summer began cool and practically without rain, but between August and October temperatures were always above average and with very little rain. These conditions were, however, a beneficial counterpoint to the low temperatures and abundant rainfall recorded during most of the winter and throughout the spring. The vintage started mid-September and the grapes showed complete and balanced maturations. We produced very elegant wines, aromatic, well-structured and balanced.

WINEMAKING

The hand-picked grapes are placed in small, shallow boxes and taken to the on-site winery. Manual sorting is followed by destemming and gentle crushing after which grapes are transferred to the fermentation vats. Fermentations are individually monitored, and the temperature and macerations are adjusted to maximise the potential of each fermenting batch.

WINEMAKERS

Charles Symington, Pedro Correia and José Daniel Soares.

GRAPE VARIETIES

30% Aragonez

28% Alicante Biouschet

25% Alfrocheiro

8% Field Blend (old vines)

3% Cabernet Sauvignon

3% Syrah

3% Touriga Nacional

AGEING

50% of the blend aged 6 months in third and fourth year 400 l French oak barrels .

Bottled in January 2020.

STORAGE & SERVING

Ready to drink but will develop favourably in bottle for 3 or 4 years.

TASTING NOTE

Herbal aromas of woodland vegetation with hints of pine resin, and background floral notes of rosebushes. Weighty and intense on the palate, a little held back, suggesting good potential for medium-term bottle-ageing. Compact black fruit with a smattering of liquorice and fine, grainy tannins adding a good spicy mouthfeel and a weighty structure, making this wine a great match for rich, savoury dishes.

WINE SPECIFICATIONS

Alcohol: 14.2% vol.

Volatile acidity: 0.53 g/L (acetic acid)

Total acidity: 5.1 g/L (tartaric acid)

pH: 3.65

Total sugars (gluc+fruct): 0.7 g/L

Allergy advice: Contains Sulphites. Compatible with vegetarian and vegan diets

Quinta de Fonte Souto

The 207-hectare Quinta da Fonte Souto was acquired by the Symington family in 2017 and is their first vineyard outside the Douro. Lying on the slopes of the São Mamede Range at an altitude of 500 metres in the Alentejo sub-region of Portalegre, the property benefits from cooler and wetter conditions than the hot Alentejo plain. The Fonte Souto wines express the freshness and elegance provided by the altitude, as well as the structure and complexity from the estate’s extensive collection of mature, low-yielding vines.