António Madeira Tinto 2022

António Madeira is a Frenchman of Portuguese descent who returned to his family's roots in the Dão to make wine, choosing the area after extensive research for its potential for long lived, elegant and fresh reds. This Tinto is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Jaen and Tinta Roriz, farmed biodynamically and made as a natural wine with minimal intervention. The Dão is a high, granite based plateau ringed by mountains, including the Serra da Estrela, and the granite soils with their good drainage and the cool, sheltered climate give wines with bright acidity, firm but fine tannins and a clear mineral line. Native yeast fermentation and eighteen months in barrel build texture and integrate the tannins through slow oxygen exchange, while the wine keeps its freshness and lift. The colour is bright red. The nose shows fresh raspberry and dark plum with garrigue and mountain herbs, black pepper, a cool minty edge and a stony, earthy undertone. The palate is medium bodied and elegant, with firm fine grained tannins, vivid acidity and a long, savoury, mineral finish. Serve at 15 to 16 degrees in a large glass. It suits roast lamb, game and mushroom dishes.