Tasting Notes
This 100% Tinta Carvalha, the only one monovarietal in Portugal. Tinta Carvalha is a varietal from the ancient varieties of the Alentejo vineyard,half-sister of Castelão and Moreto, daughter of the crossing between Sarigo and Alfrocheiro Preto. "Deep crimson with a touch of bluish purple at the rim. More complex than the Chão dos Eremitas varietal wines, with a deeper, darker fruit profile. A touch peppery, intense in its fruit aroma but without being simply fruity. There's also a stony/mineral quality that combines with the effect of the whole bunches to give real finesse. Excellent harmony and balance, more rounded than the varietal wines, fuller in the mouth and almost as fresh. A complete wine that you could just about drink now with food but is in its infancy now and will surely become even more interesting and complex with another couple of years in bottle. The tannins are beautifully refined. Utterly drinkable without being simple. Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com
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Winemaker of the Year' 2018, 'Singularity Award' 2018, 'Revelation Producer' 2017, Wine Project of the Year 2016 - it's safe to say that Antonio Macanita's mantlepiece is under some strain. But despite the high achievements and fancy awards, there's a devil-may-care adventurousness to António Maçanita which really puts us in mind of the likes of Pieter Walser or Swartland revolutionaries Adi Badenhorst and Eben Sadie in South Africa (funnily enough, Alentejo, where Antonio makes his Fitapreta wines, has been compared to Swartland in that it was traditionally dominated by co-operatives but recently we’ve seen an influx of small growers with old plots making really interesting and exciting wines). Like the Saffers, Antonio has sought to challenge wine lovers' expectations and make great new wines from often largely forgotten territories. He also surfs. He learned his trade at some of the world's top wineries - Rudd in Napa, D’Arenberg in Australia and Lynch-Bages in Bordeaux - before blazing a trail all over Portugal - from Douro to Alentejo to the Azores Islands. In addition to his own multi-region company, he also consults for 13 other wineries.