Nicholas Pearce presents the Alentejo wines of Paulo Laureano…

Available Now:
A blend of 50% Antão Vaz, 40% Arinto and 10% Fernão Pires from the winery’s oldest white vines (40 years). Only the Antão Vaz saw oak–four months in new Seguin Moreau with medium toast. It comes in at 13.5% alcohol. This is a special wine. The acidity seems higher and the wine seems a bit more penetrating and focused. It handles its oak well and the acidity easily cuts through it. The wine shows grip and tension on the finish.
 
​A blend of 40% Aragonez, 30% Trincadeira and 30% Alicante Bouschet, aged in French oak for 12 months (40% new, the rest second year; all the Aragonez saw used oak). Nicely focused, this modestly priced wine delivers elegance and a real-wine feel for not much money. There is grip on the finish, which also shows nice flavour, including some complexity of flavour. Beefy and a bit herbal, there are touches of oak as well. It is charming, though, because of its relatively lifted feel.
 
Private Order:
2018 Paulo Laureano Branco $16.95 12x750mL
100% Antão Vaz. Tropical fruit with marked minerality. On the palate it is elegant with marked freshness and notes of pineapple and guava. The finish is elegant, fresh and prolonged.
 
2018 Paulo Laureano Tinto $16.95 12x750mL
Aragonês, Trincadeira and Alicante Bouschet blend. Complex aroma of ripe red fruits in compote, mixed with subtle nuances of toast. Soft flavor and well balanced acidity on the palate. Long and elegant finish.
 
2018 Vinhas Velhas Organic Tinto $22.95 12x750mL
Aragonês, Trincadeira and Alicante Bouschet blend. Complex aroma of ripe fruit , plum jam and mixed berries, toasty aroma from the wood barrels where it aged, and some green coffee beans. Soft flavour, well balanced acidity and long perception of fruit on the palate.
 
2017 Vinhas Velhas Private Selection Branco $24.95 12x750mL
Wine Enthusiast – 90pts – Laureano’s consistent focus on native Portuguese grapes includes the old vines of Antão Vaz. This wine is crisp, textured and full of minerality as well as green fruits. The wine has touches of the four months of wood aging, which have smoothed out the texture, Drink from late 2019.
 
2016 Vinhas Velhas Private Selection Tinto $29.95 12x750mL
Aragonês, Trincadeira, Alicante Bouschet and Touriga Nacional blend. Aroma of ripe fruit complex, notes of tobacco leaf with toast of the wood where it aged. Soft flavour, well balanced acidity and long perception of fruit. Complete de-stalking and fermented in stainless steel tanks. Aged in new French oak barrels for a period of 12 months until bottling.
 
2018 Genus Generationés Maria Teresa Laureano Verdelho Branco $26.95 12x750mL
100% Verdelho obtained from old vines grafted from Madeira island. After fermentation, the wine matures under a fine lees to have a greater texture. Predominantly white flowers on the nose. Minerality, tropical fruits and Atlantic notes linger in the background. Soft with well-balanced acidity.
 
2015 Paulo Laureano Selectio Tinta Grossa $56.95 6x750mL
Indigenous variety to Alentejo that has been resurrected by Paulo Laureano. 40+ year old vines. Firm aromas of black olive, bramble and black plums envelop a solid core of sweet wood spice and tobacco leaf, with some smoke on the side. Long finish with firm tannins and lots of dark plum and berries on the palate. Dried fruits, sweet herbs and wood combine to create a complex, well-balanced wine that calls out for food, age and contemplation.

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