Pormenor Tinto 2021

Pormenor Tinto 2021 Really interesting natural red from Pedro Coelho’s Pormenor Vinhos. It is very much at the fresher, minimum intervention side of the vinous scale rather than the powerful, heavily extracted style usually associated with Douro wines. The grapes are from old vines also at high altitude and extraction is modest at best to help preserve that freshness that is desired.

The vines are located at Soutelo do Douro predominantly on blue slate/schist soils from a traditional Portuguese field blend from grapes Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barocca, Tinta Amarela and Rufete. A huge change in this vintage is that Pedro moved from maturation in conventional 225 and 500 litre barrels into a much larger 8000 litre wooden vat significantly reducing the influence of oak and focusing on the fruit and texture. Fermentation is using whole bunches and in stainless steel.

The wine has a combination of red, black and blue fruit! Raspberries, Blueberries and Blackberry to be precise with an earthy undertone and a fresh floral character. A delightful wine. It also received 93 points by probably the most famous wine critic over the last 30 years…

Pormenor means 'the little things'.  Wine maker Pedro Coelho is obsessed with attention to detail, and things the little things make all the difference. 

He is both old school and new wave, working naturally but also using field blends as is tradition in the Douro with a view to making terroir wines rather than expressions of a certain grape. 

The soils in his small patch of old vines around the Cima Corgo are made of Schist and some Granite, planted to classic varieties Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Rabigato, and Arinto.

His wines are easy, not too full, no jammy or over extracted notes, the whites have beautiful texture and the reds a lovely freshness,  An excellent addition to our growing Portuguese Portfolio.