Casal Figueira 2020 'Antonio' Branco, Vinho Regional Lisboa

Item Number: 14480

UPC: 8-437013189354

Country: Portugal
Region: Lisboa
Sub Region: Lisboa
Appellation/AVA: Vinho Regional Lisboa
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2020
Grape(s): 100% Vital
Type: Wine - White
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 6
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 11.5
Viticulture: Practicing Biodynamic
Soil Type: Limestone
Elevation: 656-1,476 feet

Rare Vital Bottling: António Augusto Carvalho (1967-2009) was the first and only winemaker to make and bottle 100% Vital, the 2008 Casal Figueira Vinhas Velhas. After he passed away, his widow, Marta, kept the project going and, in his memory, renamed the wine "António." Vital is an indigenous grape variety from the region of Lisbon, unfortunately almost extinct. It has been used almost exclusively by the locals, who have made and enjoyed homemade wine for generations.

Vineyard Notes: The vines are located on the northern slopes of the Serra de Montejunto, north of Lisbon, where Vital, the Atlantic climate, and the soil perfectly marry. The vines were planted between 1932 and 2000. The limestone soil provides exceptional freshness and minerality.

Winemaking Notes: The grapes are manually harvested in small baskets by friends, family, and volunteers. The fruit from four plots is vinified separately, showing clear differences in terroir. Gently pressed after settling, the wine is put in 200-liter French oak barrels for nine months with light battonage (lees stirring). The wine ferments with wild yeast and no chemical correction. Light filtration takes place prior to bottling. The land has been biodynamically farmed since 2007.

Tasting Notes: Intense aromas of white flowers, fresh tarragon, green and yellow apple, pear and vanilla. The palate is bright with silky texture and a rare combination of weight and elegance. Orchard fruit, flowers, spice box, and bright citrus lead to a long, intense finish with lilting tones of green herbs and minerals. This is a wine meant for the bounty of the sea like fluke crudo, roasted branzino, oysters Rockefeller, and salt & pepper shrimp.