Lagar de Darei Tinto (2015)

Notes from the Importer: The 2015 Lagar de Darei Tinto is a traditional blend of four of the local grape varieties of the Dão region, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Alfrocheiro, and Jaen. With a high elevation and the river’s humidity, the climate is perfect for creating fresh and lively wines with remarkable acidity. After they are hand picked and sorted, the grapes are de-stemmed to begin a natural fermentation in lagars. A gentle basket press is used to pull the skins aside from the wine, and malolactic fermentation takes place in large, 5000-liter cement vats, where it also rests for 15 months before resting in bottle for a year. The resulting wine is complex and earthy on the nose, yet lifted with fresh bright red cherry and purple flowers. Full in the mouth with soft tannins, bright acidity, and a restrained elegance that is full of pure fruit and earth, this red is as age-worthy as it is drinkable while young.