The Insider - April 2024
Hooray for sunshine! Is this finally, truly the beginning of our Portuguese summer? Let’s hope so! Anyway, whatever the weather, you can rely on The Fellas to provide some good news, and we’ve got some excellent wines to bridge the gap from winter to warmth.
Descriptions below, and if you run out, you can order more from The Cellar.
Don’t forget, you can look up past boxes in The Archive.
Primado Encruzado
[grape/vintage] Encruzado / 2020
[region] Dão
Pure and simple. Rich and creamy. This monovarietal hasn’t touched a wood barrel, and is like a trapeze artist on the high wire – brilliantly poised, impeccably balanced, defying gravity. You can watch the show tonight and drink in its splendor right away, but it will get even better with age, so maybe stash it away in your cellar for a few years.
Our sommelier describes it thus: Bright straw color with hints and flecks of green. A complex nose unsullied by wood that fully expresses the subtelty of the encruzado grape, floral at first then revealing apple, citrus and wild herbs. In the mouth, it is well-structured and excellently balanced, its secrets continuing to unfold with discreet hints of citrus, green apple and walnut. Long, aromatic and harmonious finish.
Pairs well with pretty much anything from a summery grilled fish to roast pheasant or even some red meats and stinky cheeses.
The Dão region, in the center of Portugal, is known for elegant, complex and full-bodied wines, with exceptional acidity and aging potential. The region’s vineyards are planted on granite hillsides, and the soil is predominantly sandy and well-drained.
Check it out in The Cellar.
Casa da Atela, Petit Verdot
[grape/vintage] Petit Verdot / 2020
[region] Tejo
A black cat on a Paris rooftop. A bit of style, a bit of panache, a bit of danger. A whole lot of cool. This wine is smooth and has bite. It’s balanced and poised and bright eyed and intense. It’s sat on the vine all summer along the banks of the Tejo, soaking up the heat and humidity, then waited nine months in French oak plotting its attack, and now it’s ready to strut its stuff, ready to steal over the rooves and pinch a diamond necklace or two from some unsuspecting countess.
Our sommelier’s thoughts: This wine has an intense ruby color, aromas of red fruits and some notes of ripe peppers. It shows up firm and intense in the mouth with good tannins and freshness providing a long-lasting, intense finish.
We suggest pairing this with a succulent filet mignon on a white tablecloth or a pepperoni pizza at a roadside stand; or go full creamy with a soufflée or fondue or gourmet cheese platter.
Tejo (until 2009 called Ribatejo), is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in Portugal, the first vines here dating as far back as Roman times. The region is strongly influenced by the River Tejo which keeps the climate temperate, and along whose alluvial plains most vines are grown. White wines tend to have high acidity with floral and tropical notes; reds are aromatic with smooth tannins.
Check it out in The Cellar.
Luis Pato "BTT"
[grape/vintage] Baga, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional / 2010
[region] Bairrada
Like popping a piece of 95% dark chocolate in your mouth wrapped in black plums and blackberries, while walking past an old farmer smoking a hand-rolled cigarette. Intense and fruity. Rugged and earthy. Needs an hour or two to get used to you before he opens up. But once he gets going the old ba#&ard won’t stop talking. Drink slowly and peacefully alongside a hunk of bread and aged sheep’s cheese.
A soft limpid aspect but with a brilliant intense ruby colour. On the nose black fruits, tobacco, floral and earthy notes. In the mouth smooth and round, with strong tannins and still present acidity. Still plenty of aging left in this wine.
Pairs well with a classic baked bacalhau, a stinky Serra da Estrella sheep cheese, or a Peking duck just falling off the bone.
Bairrada produces wines with high acidity and tannins, often aged in oak barrels to soften the tannins and develop complex flavors. The region’s soil is predominantly clay and limestone, which helps to retain moisture and gives the wines a distinct minerality.
Check it out in The Cellar.