How it tastesLively red cherry and redcurrant fruit with floral top notes, a mineral streak and a darker edge of chocolate and liquorice. Smooth and round in the mouth, medium-bodied, the oak well absorbed, with bright acidity lifting the finish. Tinta Roriz 55%, Touriga Nacional 45%.The producerJosé Ribeiro Vieira bought a four-hectare vineyard in the foothills of the Serra de Aire at Cortes, in the Alta Estremadura near Lisbon, in 2003, and named it after Vale da Mata, the old parcel his winemaker father Manuel rated as the site of his best wines. The land is steep and rocky and worked entirely by hand, with winter pruning and green harvesting done manually; sheltered to the north, well exposed to the sun and ringed by olive, fig and walnut trees, it is trained on the Cordon Royat system and picked at optimum maturity. Catarina Vieira, Manuel's granddaughter, now makes the wine with Pedro Ribeiro on a minimal-intervention basis: the field-blend fruit is sorted, co-fermented with indigenous yeasts, aged ten months in French oak barrels and given a further six months in bottle.Food and drinkingServe at 16°C. It suits roast chicken, grilled pork, a mushroom risotto or a plate of mild sheep's cheese. Drinking well now and over the next three to five years, with no need to decant. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
