Quinta da Fonte Souto Syrah 2021

Quinta da Fonte Souto Syrah

2021

We had a long harvest, starting on August 17th and ending on October 8th. First to be picked was Verdelho, closely followed by Aragonez. The Arinto was harvested in stages from the end of August, to produce wines with differing profiles. During early September, we picked a second batch of Aragonez and started picking Alfrocheiro. A cool July provided excellent levels of acidity in the white grapes, delivering fresh, expressive aromatics. From mid- August, rising temperatures provoked a rapid advance in maturations, pointing to an early vintage. That wasn’t to be, though, as lower temperatures and rain returned at the end of the month, slowing maturations, and prompting us to pause the vintage, which only picked up again from September 16th — for the remaining reds: Alicante Bouschet, Syrah, Touriga Nacional and Trincadeira. This is a year of elegance, with the acidity and aromatic exuberance expected from a cooler year, combining with very fine textures and balance.

The 207-hectare Quinta da Fonte Souto was acquired by the Symington family in 2017 and is their first vineyard outside the Douro. Lying on the slopes of the São Mamede Range at an altitude of 500 metres in the Alentejo sub-region of Portalegre, the property benefits from cooler and wetter conditions than the hot Alentejo plain. The Fonte Souto wines express the freshness and elegance provided by the altitude, as well as the structure and complexity from the estate’s extensive collection of mature, low-yielding vines.

Quinta da Fonte Souto

Fonte Souto

Alentejo Wine

Alentejo DOC Red Single Variety

Alentejo DOC Prm Syrah Red

Charles Symington, Pedro Correia and José Daniel Soares

Quinta da Fonte Souto, Portalegre

100% Syrah

14.5 %

5.2 g/l (tartaric acid)

0.6 g/l

12 months in second year 400L French oak barrels

0.51 g/l (acetic acid)

3.64

The hand-picked grapes are placed in small, shallow boxes and taken to the on-site winery. Manual sorting is followed by destemming and gentle crushing after which grapes are transferred to the fermentation vats. Fermentations are individually monitored, and the temperature and macerations are adjusted to maximise the potential of each fermenting batch. A period of post fermentation maceration follows to encourage the extraction of some tannin from the pips to complement those extracted from the grape skins. This adds structure and longevity to the wines.

Deep coloured, holding on to its youth. On the nose there is a gradual reveal of conifer, aromatic herbs, as well as clover and cardamom scents followed by tightly knit blackcurrant and a touch of liquorice. The gamey palate is deep and brooding with swells of black tea, dark chocolate and damson. Peppery, grainy tannins underpin the unflinching structure. A little guarded, but with undoubted cellaring potential; will repay keeping for another four to five years.

Ready to drink but has good ageing potential

Contains sulphites

Yes

Yes