2018 Paulo da Silva, Casal de Azenha Tinto, Lisboa Region, Portugal.
This beautiful old school red wine is made from a collection of old indigenous grapes, including Ramisco, the chief red grape of Colares, along with other local varietals such as Castelão Nacional, Trincadeira, and Tinta Miuda, all grown in Lisbon-area Atlantic influenced coastal sandy sites. A dark ruby color and a nose of berries, violets and spices greets you in a way that will seduce the palate with rustic charm and layers of dark cherry, black brambly raspberry, plum and currant fruits, along with cinnamon, pepper, dried sage, minty herbs, anise and just a hint of leather. This was a gem in the rough at a recent trade tasting, with its natural cork label standing out, and I would highly recommend this cool climate style fresh, medium bodied red wine from Portugal that will be best enjoyed with a meal to smooth out the fine tannins and nice acidity.
This little known winery is owned by the 90 plus-year-old António Bernardino Paulo da Silva, who continues his family’s tradition of winemaking that dates back to 1898 in this coastal area, not far from Lisbon, and crafts his wines with historical and native varietals only. Da Silva works with organic farmers and small plots to produce this wine and his commitment to these old varietals make this wine even more pleasing. This region is seeing lots of development and many old vineyards on the coast have been put at risk, if not already ripped out, so supporting wineries and people like this is hugely important to preserve the local history and culture. These wines are handmade with clean and natural techniques, with cool fermentations, with very little oak, if ever, to heighten the aromatics and allow for transparency. This very cool and quaffable 2018 Casal de Azenha, which reminds me of a lighter style Nebbiolo meats Gamay, and there’s a Mencia like brightness and spicy character, adding a fine savory note on this finish.
($25 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive