Trans Douro Express Cima Corgo 2023

Trans Douro Express Cima Corgo is an organic red from DOC Douro, made by Mateus Nicolau de Almeida from the native Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. The maker comes from a family with a long winemaking legacy in the Douro and built this project to express the region's distinct climates, and Trans Douro Express is a set of three wines, each from one of the Douro's sub-regions. This bottling comes from the Cima Corgo, the warm central heart of the valley around Pinhão, where steep terraces of schist soil hold heat and drainage and force the vines to root deep for water. That schist gives Douro reds their mineral, savoury backbone. The wine ages in cement tanks rather than oak, which lets the fruit and terroir speak without the imprint of wood, while the porous concrete allows a slow micro-oxygenation that softens tannin and keeps the wine fresh. Farming is organic. The colour is deep purple. The nose shows blackberry, dark cherry and red berry with a violet lift, black pepper and a stony, herbal edge, and the palate is structured and pure, with firm tannin and a long, mineral finish. Serve at 17 degrees. It suits grilled meats, game and mushroom dishes.