Eremitas Antão do Deserto 2022

Mateus Nicolau de Almeida set up his own project in 2015 at Vila Nova de Foz Coa, in the upper Douro, after leaving the Muxagat family estate. He makes a set of three Rabigato wines vinified the same way but grown in different sub-regions, so that the site does the talking. Rabigato is a native Douro white grown high in the valley, prized for holding firm acidity in a hot region. Altitude is the key here, since the cool nights at elevation slow ripening and lock in freshness and aromatic lift that lower Douro sites lose. Fermentation and ageing take place in cement, a neutral vessel that gives a little texture while keeping the wine fresh and true to the grape, with no oak influence at all. The colour is pale straw with green tints. The nose is fresh and floral, with lemon, green apple and white flowers over a saline, stony note, and the palate is dry, taut and mineral, energetic and long on a salty finish. This is a crisp, high-altitude white built around freshness. Serve well chilled at 9 to 11 degrees.