2019 Casa de Darei, Lagar de Darei, Dão, Portugal
Regular price $20.00
Unit price per
42% Touriga Nacional, 38% Jaen,15% Tinta Roriz, 5% Alfrocheiro
A third generation estate of the Ruivo family, Casa de Darei is a gorgeous 150-hectare property nestled in the Dão Valley in central Portugal, in the municipality of Mangualde. A dedicated natural reserve comprises the vast majority of the area, with beautiful forests that line the Dão River, verdant farmland for cattle, apple orchards, and organic certified grape vines. Darei is the name of the towhn that the winery sits in, with a population of only 40 people. At the moment, the total production for the estate is just 45,000 bottles annually, focused on the local and indigenous white and red varieties. As a result of the winemaker's sincere focus on traditionally made wines using old cement lagares and beautiful old presses, the wines are clear, focused, and speak to the terroir of the area.
With a high elevation and the river’s humidity, the climate is perfect for creating fresh and lively wines with remarkable acidity. After they
are hand picked and sorted, the grapes are de-stemmed to begin a natural fermentation in lagars. A gentle basket press is used to pull the skins
aside from the wine, and malolactic fermentation takes place in large, 5000-liter cement vats, where it also rests for 15 months before resting in
bottle for a year. Fermented and aged in cement lagars. The resulting wine is complex and earthy on the nose, yet lifted with fresh bright red cherry and purple flowers. Full with soft tannins, bright acidity, and a restrained elegance that is full of pure fruit and earth, this red is as age-worthy as it is drinkable while young.