Terroir d’Origem, Herédias 2020 Douro

A new wine from Carlos Lucas, whose Dão wines the Society has followed for some years. Unoaked, to allow full expression to the Douro’s typical local grapes. This is a blend of 30% Touriga Franca, 30% Tinta Roriz, 25% Tinta Amarela, 15% Touriga Nacional. 24 hours on skins then 15 days’ fermentation in stainless steel at 20–24 °C. Aged for nine months in stainless steel and bottled August 2021. RS <2 g/l, TA 6.5 g/l, pH 3.7, SO₂ total 80 mg/l, SO₂ free 40 mg/l.
Deep purplish crimson. Wonderfully velvety nose with sweet palate entry and it tastes as though there may have been the odd oak stave involved? Maybe it’s one of the grape ingredients. There’s something spicy here. Not the finest Douro table wine but there is great fruit and fine tannin in abundance. Just falls away a bit on the end, but GV.