2016 Quinta do Pinto 'Estate Collection Red'

30% Syrah, 27% Aragonez, 20% Touriga Nacional, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Tinta Miuda. Farming is sustainable and everything is harvested by hand. Fermented with native yeasts in concrete. The Aragonez, Cab and Syrah aged in second and third year French oak barrels with the Touriga and Tinta Miuda in concrete. 14.5% alcohol. 1,850 cases made.

This medium to full-bodied, savory and earthy wine is perfectly aged and ready to drink. Black cherry, raspberry, chocolate, black tea, leather, anise and oak spice on the nose and palate. The Syrah brings a bit of smokiness to the blend. Acidity is still fresh but the tannins have mellowed over the time in bottle.  Exc ellent pairing for stews and braised meats.

Quinta do Pinto is a woman-owned and operated winery that is driven by the seemingly unstoppable force of the sisters Rita Cardoso Pinto and Ana Cardoso Pinto. The estate itself is made up of 156 acres of vineyards that sit on mostly south-facing slopes of hills in the area between the Montejunto mountain range and the Tejo river. This particular region of the Lisbon Wine Region is protected by natural barriers against the cold and damp wind coming from the nearby Atlantic Ocean, which allows for the cultivation of vineyards without the use of chemical interventions to maintain the health of the vines against potential mold or pests. In fact, the winery has been certified by the Portuguese government for Produção Integrada, a standard of sustainable agricultural practices and management which is defined by the European Union as “a farming system where high quality organic food, feed, fibre and renewable energy are produced by using resources such as soil, water, air and nature as well as regulating factors to farm sustainably and with as few polluting inputs as possible.” This minimum intervention approach to viticulture is based on the professed philosophy of Quinta do Pinto that “wine is made in the vineyard” and permeates not only the way that they choose to act as stewards to their vineyards, but also in the fact that they are constantly making efforts as a winery to further commit to sustainable agricultural, winemaking, and sales practices.