2020 Quinta do Javali - Douro Tinto Clos Fonte do Santo Cherry Tree Vineyard (750ml)

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Like its brother, the Clos Fonte do Santo Stone Vineyard, this Quinta do Javali Clos Fonte do Santo Cherry Tree Vineyard wine is a masterclass in what Douro red field blends can do with proper harvest date and farming. The Douro is famous for port, but it turns out you can make a killer fruit-driven, earthy red wine here, too. This wine is part of a revolutionary movement over the last decade in the Douro towards lower alcohol field blends which incorporate both red and white varieties. The exact inverse of port! This biodynamically farmed wine pours a shimmering, pale red, and weighs in at just 12% ABV. That's like the holy grail in terms of a refreshing red in an era of global warming, where these outcomes are harder and harder to come by. Here's a wine you can comfortably crush!

This wine is secretly very serious, however. It can be paired to richer red meats if you'd wish--it's down for whatever. The Clos Fonte do Santo vineyard, bound by old stone walls, surrounded by bushes and forest, is naturally rich in biodiversity. The Clos Fonte do Santo is a classic schist terroir, and contains olive trees, fruit trees, a natural water well, and even shale rock formations, all contributing to a unique ecosystem and microclimate. The Clos Fonte do Santo is actually large enough to be divided into subsections.

The fruit for this wine was manually harvested from a colder section of the Clos Fonte do Santo called the Cherry Tree vineyard. The 2020 Quinta do Javali Clos Fonte do Santo Cherry Tree Vineyard is made via whole cluster fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel lagar before finishing fermentation in old French oak barrels. Unfiltered, and not cold stablized. A revelatory, wonderful tart, versatile red, with an intriguing savory spicy character, that finishes on a beguiling herbal cherry aroma. An absolute winner in all seasons, but an undisputed featherweight champion of a red for summer.