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SKU 850900
$20.14/bottle
Out of stock
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The 2017 Branco Superior, last seen in Porto just before bottling, is now in bottle and in the USA. It is a 60/40 blend of Viosinho and Verdelho aged for six months in 50% used French oak (although 15% had acacia heads). It comes in at 13.5% alcohol. This seems to have developed just as I’d hoped. It is a big step up over the regular Branco (not reviewed again this issue). Concentrated and showing fine persistence, it is intense on the finish. The acidity is over seven grams per liter and lifts the fruit. Yet it is also well balanced in every respect. The acidity doesn’t seem shrill at all. It holds the oak well too. At this point, the wood affects the texture more than anything else. It is nicely done. There should be no rush—it will age pretty well. It is also drinking well now. There were 39,000 bottles produced.
Benefiting from both the hot, dry Iberian climate as well as brisk Atlantic winds, Portugal is a perfectly situated country for vineyard cultivation and wine production. With a wine making history which stretches back thousands of years, it comes as little surprise that wine plays an important role in the cultural identity and practices of the country. The Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Greeks and the Romans all had a hand in forming Portugal as an important center for wine production, and over the millennia, this resulted in each region of this beautiful part of Europe producing its own distinctive wines easily identifiable and separate from neighboring Spain's. Today, the varied terroir and climate across Portugal allows a great range of wines to be made each year, from the fresh and dry Vinho Verde wines to the famous and widely drunk fortified Port wines, and many in between.
Region
Douro
The undisputed jewel in Portugal's crown is the beautiful wine region of Douro, located along the banks of the river from where it gets its name. The region itself is renowned around the world for its range of wonderfully aromatic fortified wines, as well as a wide variety of still red and white wines made from native grape varietals. Wineries in the Douro region utilize a huge amount of different local grapes for their characterful wines, but generally the most popular are made from Tinta Roriz, a rich and flavorful red wine grape related to Spain's flagship Tempranillo. However, there are plenty of different red and white grape varietals used in the region, all benefiting from the excellent hot weather and mineral rich terroir which characterizes the Douro valleys.
WA91pts
Wine Advocate
The 2017 Branco Superior, last seen in Porto just before bottling, is now in bottle and in the USA. It is a 60/40 blend of Viosinho and Verdelho aged for six months in 50% used French oak (although 15% had acacia heads). It comes in at 13.5% alcohol. This seems to have developed just as I'd hoped. It is a big step up over the regular Branco (not reviewed again this issue). Concentrated and showing fine persistence, it is intense on the finish. The acidity is over seven grams per liter and lifts the fruit. Yet it is also well balanced in every respect. The acidity doesn't seem shrill at all. It holds the oak well too. At this point, the wood affects the texture more than anything else. It is nicely done. There should be no rush—it will age pretty well. It is also drinking well now. There were 39,000 bottles produced.
DC91pts
Decanter
Focused lime and grapefruit notes with a creamy, textural palate, an underlying nutty oak core and an orange cordial finish. (Silver) - 2020 World Wines Awards
Winery Notes
Lemon in colour, with light golden hues. Expressive on the nose, with citrus aromas, delicate floral notes and a crispy minerality. The palate starts out fresh, evolving into a finely textured wine that reveals excellent volume, citrus fruit flavours and pleasant mineral sensations. This is an elegant wine, with a lingering finish and a natural acidity that will allow it to evolve positively in the bottle.
