Dos Lusíadas Eleivera Blanco 2023

Dos Lusíadas is the Portuguese venture of Michel Chapoutier, who took over his family's Rhône winery in 1990 and has since applied the same sustainable, low-intervention approach in the DOC Douro. This white is a field of native varieties, Rabigato, Gouveio, Viosinho and Códega, planted on the region's schist and granite soils. Those poor, free-draining soils restrict yields and push roots deep, while the wide day-to-night temperature swing at altitude preserves acidity through the ripening season. The wine is aged on its fine lees, and that extended lees contact releases mannoproteins that build texture and a subtle savoury depth without any oak. The colour is pale straw with a green tint. The nose leads with lemon and white peach, backed by pear, white flowers and a light almond note. On the palate it is dry and fresh, the lees weight giving a rounded mid-palate before a saline, mineral finish that reflects the stony ground. Serve at 9 to 11 degrees in a standard white glass.