Quinta da Fonte Souto Vinha do Souto 2020

Quinta da Fonte Souto Vinha do Souto

2020

This is the flagship wine of the estate, named after its beautiful chestnut groves (Soutos), that lie close to the vineyards from which the grapes are sourced, namely the finest plots of Alicante Bouschet and Syrah. The lower vigour of these vines and the low yields result in concentrated, structured wines that also reflect the singular freshness which the altitude provides.

After a precocious budbreak, the wet spring slowed the growing cycle. Above-average temperatures in June and July hampered the progression of the maturations, although the altitude of our vineyards safeguarded the grapes’ balance and freshness. A cooler August put maturations back on track. This was our most challenging growing season since our debut year in 2017 and the two-month long vintage (August 19th – October 14th) further confirmed this. There were occasions when we had to rush, and others, many, when we had to be prepared to wait. Each variety, each parcel reacted differently to the multiple hurdles that stacked up in quick succession and keen vigilance in the vineyard was required throughout. After such a demanding year, we were pleasantly surprised with the balance and freshness of the wines, with very expressive fruit. This has renewed our admiration and confidence in the privileged location we enjoy in the São Mamede range.

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

Vinha do Souto

Alentejo Wine

Alentejo DOC Red

Alentejo DOC Super Prm Red

Charles Symington, Pedro Correia and José Daniel Soares.

Quinta da Fonte Souto, Portalegre

55% Syrah, 45% Alicante Bouschet.

15.1 %

5.1 g/l (tartaric acid)

0.7 g/l

2022

The blend was aged in 400-litre French oak barrels – 70% new and 30% second year wood – for 18 months until bottling on 7 June 2022.

0.5 g/l (acetic acid)

3.7

The hand-picked grapes are placed in small containers and and taken to the on-site winery. Manual sorting is followed by destemming and gentle crushing of the berries, after which they are transferred to the fermentation vats. Fermentations are individually and closely monitored, with tastings twice a day and temperatures and maceration movements carefully adjusted in order to extract the full potential of the grapes. Sourced from the estate’s finest vineyard parcels and picked at optimal ripeness, the grapes are vinified in small-capacity vats, in small batches, worked with manual cap submersion, pump-overs,rack and return techniques, and a post-fermentation maceration period, during which tannins are extracted from the seeds — complementing those from the skins — in order to enhance the structure of the wine and emphasise its ageing potential.

Store bottle horizontally at a cool and constant temperature. Good ageing potential.

16°C / 60°F

Contains sulphites.

Yes

Yes