This past summer I was in Portugal for the second time. During both visits I searched out wines from the Alentejo DOC to drink as they are always winners for me. Fancy my thrill at being offered two wines from the area to review when we got home. I ran a news release from the Herdade do Peso wine estate on this website on December 1 with lots of details on two of their wines that I’m reviewing today, and I’m combining my tasting notes with even more extensive notes from fellow blogger Steve Roebuck.
2021 Revelado Red and 2019 Parcelas Red:
Revelado Red 2021 – “Vibrant and elegant…fresh and full-bodied with integrated tannins, aged 12 months in French oak. SRP: $25.99…full-bodied and dinner party ready.”
More from the tech sheet:
Winemaker: Luis Cabral Almeida
Grape variety: 64% Alicante Bouschet, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Touriga Nacional.
14% alcohol, store 4-5 years after harvest date.
EB: Dark purple color, with rich deep aromas of blue to black fruit, grilled mushroom, sweet milk chocolate and medium toasted oak and balanced flavors of blackberry, blueberry, mild spice, a round mouthfeel and medium length finish. Nice with and without food. 92 Eve points.
SR: The wine had a welcoming bouquet of blackberries and plums swimming in a pool of campfire smoke, with hints of dried herbs, tobacco, cassis liquor, baking chocolate, and tilled earth. The wine was full-bodied with rounded tannins that gripped the palate with hints of plum, blackberries, baking chocolate, dried herbs, brine, and earthy terroir notes. The wine had a nice level of acidity that gave balance and elegance to rich layers of fruit and earth.
Parcelas Red 2019 – “Crafted from two plots of grapes, this wine is deep, complex, and fresh, aged 12 months in large French oak casks. SRP: $65.99…complex, expressive, and made from the estate’s most treasured vineyard plot.”
More from the tech sheet:
Winemaker: Luis Cabral Almeida
Grape variety: 50% Petit Verdot and 50% Alicante Bouschet.
14.5% alcohol, ready to consume.
EB: Very dark purple color followed by notes of a bowl of blue to black fruits, some light spice, tree bark and forest floor. On the palate I noted rich drying tannins, a little tanginess, dark and dusty fruit, baking chocolate, and a long finish. Even better with food. 94 Eve points.
SR: This dark beauty had an alluring bouquet of violets, black cherries, blackberries, plums, dried sage, chocolate, vanilla, soft pepper, graphite, char, brine, tobacco, and tilled earth. The wine was full-bodied with rounded tannins that gave way to a palate painted with hints of blackberries, cherries, plums, dried herbs, graphite, tobacco, tar, chocolate, and dusty brined earth. The wine was complex with savory layers of fruit and earth that were balanced with a lovely level of acidity. This rich wine also displayed elegance and sophistication, and it was showing beautifully. The wine is approachable now but should evolve nicely over the next decade for those with the patience to cellar it.
Excerpt from Press Release:
Located in Vidigueira, in southern Alentejo, the 1,150-acre Herdade do Peso estate encompasses 365-acres of vineyards and 247-acres of ancient olive groves, including one remarkable tree that is confirmed to be 3,714 years old. Under the guidance of winemaker Luís Cabral de Almeida, the team blends tradition and innovation – using oak barrels, clay amphoras, stainless-steel vats, and concrete vessels – to reveal the distinctive character of each vineyard plot.
“At Herdade do Peso, we work in harmony with the land, respecting each grape variety and vine, with minimal intervention winemaking that emphasizes the essence of our grapes,” says Luis Cabral de Almeida, winemaker for Herdade do Peso. “Through micro-zoning, we maximize the diversity of our soils, the different sun exposures, and the cool nights of Vidigueira, giving rise to elegant, complex and refreshing Alentejo wines.”
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
