WineWise Code

PDA-ENC22

Country

Portugal

Region

Dão

Color/Style

White

Destemming

Complete

Fermentation Vessel

Barrel

Additional Fermentation Notes

Total destemming and crushing followed by 24-hour skin contact. Pneumatic pressing, natural decantation and spontaneous fermentation in barrels at 18-22ºC. Complete malolactic fermentation.

Aging Vessel

100% New Barrique

Aging Duration (months)

11 months

Filtered?

No

Fining Agents

None

Yeast Protocol

Pied de Cuve

Malolactic Conversion

Yes

Additonal Maturation Details:

Ageing in barrels on the fine lees for 11 months in a reductive environment. Racking and kept in stainless steel for 6 months until bottling. Natural decantation, the wine has not been clarified or filtered, and may have a deposit

Added Sulfur

Yes, 80mg/l

Varieties

Encruzado

Residual Sugar

1.3

ABV

14

Acidity

5.7

pH

3.37

Closure

Natural cork

Annual Production

1093 bottles

Certified Vegan

No

Other Wine Facts

Luís Lopes winemarker: ""Remarkably, it is a variety that produces wines that age very well. When young or bottled early, this variety is quite neutral. Aging on lees in new barrels increases its potential. We prefer bigger sizes to avoid too much interference on the savoury taste profile of the variety"". Many Encruzados in the market are too lush, even tropical in the fruit profile, mainly because of innoculation with industrial yeasts. As we use only natural yeasts, our Encruzado is very umami, savoury, soil-driven. Abuse of bâtonnage has given Encruzado a very mellow and sometimes flabby texture. As we don't touch our Encruzado for 2 winters, leaving it on reduction on the lees, ours is the contrary, boasting a lot of tension and granite salinity.

Primary Vineyard Name

Encruzado from Vinha da Fonte Velha (1,43ha total, planted in 1990, grape varieties 50% Encruzado (Grand Cru) and 30% Malvasia Fina (uprooted in 2024) e 20% Cerceal-Branco ). VINHA DA FONTE VELHA = VINEYARD OF THE OLD FOUNTAIN, referering to an amazing fountain that we have very close to the vineyard, built with cut granite stones in the 16th century.

Soil Types

Granite

Elevation (meters)

288-296

Vine Age

24

Yields (hl/ha)

40

Farming Practices

Practicing organic, practicing regenerative

Harvest Method

Hand-harvested

Other Vineyard Details

This vineyard is very interesting, because we discovered with Pedro Parra, our terroir consultant, that our Encruzado there is planted on a ""grand cru"" level granite alterite, while the 30% of Malvasia Fina and 20% Cerceal-Branco are planted on a ""villages"" level soils, because of an old creek that used to pass through this plot in the past. We decided to uproot the Malvasia Fina last year in order to plant in its place a collection of old white varieties from Dão, more qualitative, and also helping to restore the diversity of Dão before the 90s.