Mestre Daniel Branco XXVI Talhas 2023

Mestre Daniel Branco XXVI Talhas, natural wine from local varieties, Antão vaz, Perrum and Roupeiro, old vines, earthy, resinous and delicious.  The Mestre Daniel cuvees is named after the orginator of this tiny bodega, who’s legacy is being continued by Ricardo and his group.  It is delicious and complex white wine with notes of quince and dried apricot alongside dry grasses, hay, minerality and an oily resinous character.  A super wine for richer umami flavoured foods.

A group of friends from Vila Alva came together to create XXVI Talhas, a fabulous project which aims to sustain the traditional wine making methods of their region of Alentejo. Led by Ricardo Santos, the group grew up watching their families using traditional methods; wine made in clay pots (Amphora or Talha). Their village is one of the few places in the Alentejo where the tradition of producing amphora wine, introduced by the Romans, has continued to this day. The new DOC Alentejo Vinho de Talha is helping to promote these traditional methods in their ancestral home towns.

All of the vineyards at Talhas are old, field blend plots, on sandy-clay soils, with a few pockets of granite and schist. Some parcels are almost 100 years old, and some are un-grafted. All the parcels are picked and fermented separately, each getting their own Talha or two. The Talhas are mostly very old - some dating back to the 17th century! - and vary in size from 300L to 1000L. They have 26 in total, all individually numbered as they all have their own personalities. Once finished, each wine is tasted and blends are made to produce their different cuvees. Occasionally a single Talha stands out and is bottled without blending as a Talha Unico.