2020 Azores Wine Company - DO Pico Acores Vinha do Utras (750ml)

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This is the Grand Cru of the Azores, one of Antonio Macanita’s top bottles. There’s an old Azorean saying which holds that ‘the best vineyards are those where you can hear the crabs singing’. This small plot is planted as close to the ocean possible, where you get a maximum of sunlight and concentration. You also capture the sea itself. There are tidewells in the vineyard – sea water rises 6-10 meters below the vineyard itself, and some roots are actually in contact with seawater! In 2004, a UNESCO World Heritage protection directive saved these vines. And it’s easy to see why: for more than 500 years, vines on this island have been planted in the cracks of the lava bed, a few meters from the ocean. But before those vineyards, there were the “Utras”, a name that derives from Joss Hurtere, a Flemish seafarer who arrived in 1465 and became Captain of both Pico and Fayal. Hurtere was crucial in the development of both the islands and vineyards. This vineyard was given to Azores Wine Company by the descendants of Hurtere’s family, along with the responsibility for its preservation. It’s 95% Arinto dos Açores, with the remainder comprised of a field blend of indigenous white grapes. A wine like no other. About 70% of the first press off the grapes ferments and ages in stainless steel horizontal tanks; the other 30% ferments and ages in 3 year old French oak, with no bâtonnage, for 9 months. This can give Grand Cru Chablis a run for its money, as it has an extra gear that is endlessly intriguing and utterly unique.