Located on the slopes of the Serra de São Mamede Natural Park, near Portalegre, the Fonte Souto vineyards — planted between 490 and 550 meters of altitude — benefit from conditions of greater freshness and humidity than the areas of the hot Alentejo plain. The transitional soils between shale and granite, with a predominance of schist, ensure an ideal balance between good levels of water retention and good drainage. The wines express the freshness and balance that derive from high quotas, as well as the structure and complexity that result from mature vines with low yields.
Tasting Notes
Aromas combine notes of black fruits and forest floor with balsamic touch of pine needles. Lots of freshness with the fragrance of mountain breeze suggesting pine forest. On the palate it is concentrated and juicy with notes of black plum and wild berries.
Vinification
The grapes are harvested into small boxes and received in the estate’s winery. Manual sorting is followed by destemming and gentle crushing, after which the grapes are transferred to the fermentation vessels with a peristaltic pump. Fermentations are followed individually and temperatures and maceration movements are adjusted to maximise the potential of the grapes. A period of post-fermentative maceration is carried out to promote the extraction of tannins from the seeds — complementary to the tannins in the skins — in order to favor the structure and accentuate the aging potential. 50% of the batch aged for 8 months in 400 l French oak barrels, second and third year.
Endnotes
Region: Alentejo
Country: Portugal
Producer: Quinta da Fonte Souto
Oenology: Charles Symington, Pedro Correia and José Daniel Soares
Grape Varieties: Alicante Bouschet, Alfrocheiro, Syrah, Touriga Nacional
pH: 3.67
Acidity: 5.4 g/L
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