Quinta da Pellada Quinta de Saes Tinto 2018

93 Wine & Spirits
Alvaro Castro replanted his vines at Saes around the turn of the century, an east-facing vineyard in the foothills of the Serra da Estrella, where he and his daughter Maria grow touriga nacional, alfrocheiro, jaen and tinta pinheira for this blend. Fermented without added yeasts and aged in older oak barrels, this is among the most straightforward wines they make, and it showed beautifully in 2018: An elegant red with lovely richness, its melodramatic funk in control, its fruit in blossom—"red plum, violets and rose petals," as panelist Bruno Almeida described it.