Quinta dos Carvalhais Dão Touriga Nacional displays an intense ruby-red hue, accented by aromatics of ripe blackberry and nuanced by floral hints and herbs.  The barrel aging adds an aromatic spiciness.  Balanced and elegant, the silky tannins provide structure and the acidity delivers complexity to the lingering finish.

Ideal to accompany meat dishes especially Beef Wellington and different types of buttery cheeses. It also pairs nicely with fine chocolate desserts for a luxurious finish to any meal.

About the Producer

Quinta dos Carvalhais is a beautiful estate in the Terras de Azurara sub-region of the Dão and is one of the region's most respected producers.  Purchased in 1988 by Sogrape, a huge amount of investment has gone into the estate, which combines the most up to-date viticultural and winemaking techniques with age-old traditions, resulting in unique wines with great elegance and personality. In addition to investing in their own vineyards, Quinta dos Carvalhais has also been instrumental in defending the interests of local winegrowers and for pioneering the quality revolution in the Dão region. The talented Beatriz Cabral de Almeida is head winemaker and makes a very impressive range of single-varietal wines and interesting blends from the estate vineyards.

Vineyard and Winery

This 105-hectare property, situated at an altitude of 465-500 metres, has 50 hectares under vine. Warm days and cool nights at this altitude slow down the grape ripening process and result in wines with lovely depth yet vibrant fruit and a signature freshness. The vineyards are planted on poor granite soils. Microzoning studies have been carried out on the estate, identifying nine different soil types and a multitude of different microclimates, and each grape variety has been matched to its ideal plot. This precision viticulture provides Beatriz with a great diversity of blending options. All of the vineyards are farmed sustainably and harvesting is carried out by hand.

Touriga Nacional from three different plots was hand harvested plot by plot into 20kg crates. Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes were destemmed and gently crushed into stainless-steel tanks with automatic pumping over and temperature control. Fermentation took about 10 days at an average temperature of around 27°C. The Touriga Nacional from one particular plot underwent a post-fermentation maceration for a further eight days. The wine was then aged for 12 months in a combination of used and new 225- litre French oak barrels sourced from a selection of coopers, before the final blend was assembled and the wine was lightly fined, filtered and bottled in March