Vinhos Gota "Prunus" Tinto Private Selection 2020, Dao, Portugal

FROM LA LUZ SELECTIONS

THE WINE: 80% Jaén, 10% Tinta Roríz, 5% Alfrocheiro, 5% others (co-ferment)

Handpicked fruit, a majority of the lot is destemmed, although there is always whole cluster co-fermentation with particular lots. Stainless steel – 24 hours cold soak with 12 days skin soak. The wine is pressed then aged in French and Portuguese oak for 6 months and 6 months in the bottle before release.

Dry farmed, sustainable/non-certified organic. The small, single vineyards that comprise Prunus are located in the lower elevations of the bowl that is the Dao. While they collect 2200-2400 heat units each vintage, there are cooling winds that come off the mountain-sides to retain natural acids in the wine.

THE PRODUCER: Natalia Jessa is on the forefront of becoming the new face of Portuguese wines and one of the hardest working people around. Having relocated to Portugal for love from Poland via Ireland to Oporto, Natalia Jessa has really taken grasp of what is virtually an underserved market for inexpensive and incredibly delicious Portuguese wine. She says it herself in the most adorable broken Portu/Polish English accent: “Drink it, don’t overthink it.”

Natalia leverages long standing relationships and vineyard knowledge in each region where she orchestrates the entire production in conjunction with a “winemaker on the ground”. Each local expert friend helps Natalia source the most organic grapes from the best soils for each native grape variety within each region. These wines are very unique and true to place.