Winemaker Notes
Open ruby color, aroma of mineral notes, white flowers and red fruit. In the mouth it is fresh and lively, with a well marked acidity, showing intensity and concentration of aroma of the old vines.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Deep and ripe nose of black cherries, blackberries, mulberries, purple flowers, dark minerals and spices. Complex and full-bodied on the palate, with a voluminous core of black fruit and sleek, polished tannins. Long and very fine-grained. This is big but well balanced.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The red blend 2023 Letra F comes from old vineyards classified with the letter "F" for the production of Port, the lowest grading, but nowadays possibly the best for table wines. They have identified up to 87 different grape varieties, red and white, and used up to 15% white grapes for this wine and 30% full clusters for the fermentation and then aged the wine in stainless steel for one year. It has a bright ruby color and a nose of berries, fruit and lots of herbs. It's a little balsamic, with moderate ripeness, 12.5% alcohol and a medium-bodied palate with fine tannins and vibrant flavors, very pleasant and easy to drink.
What are the odds of having two talented oenologists in the family?
In Douro, Portugal, brilliant brother and sister team Joana & Antonio Maçanita have managed to pool their considerable winemaking talent to showcase the breadth of terroir in the oldest classified European appellation. Sourcing from sites spread across the 3 subzones of the Douro, the Maçanitas use classic Douro grape varieties with modern winemaking techniques to produce wines of balance, elegance and true Douro character.
These siblings aren’t afraid of pushing the boundaries and forcing us to leave our comfort zone, meet the Maçanita’s and get to know their wines!
António is today a well-known name, for his commitment in the Alentejo region and more recently for the Azores project, wines that represent some of the greatest discoveries in the last years. Stunning Arinto dos Açores, Terrantez do Pico and Verdelho. Joana is also committed to awaken Algarve, once a very well-known region. She is consulting six wineries in the southernmost of Portugal. This brother and sister team has captured the spirit of the Douro as only they are able.
Gaining great popularity for its bold but beautifully aromatic dry red wines, Touriga Nacional is the noblest variety in Port wine. Most likely originating from the Dão region, today it grows throughout the Douro Valley as well. Somm Secret—As many as 80 grape varieties can be used to make Port wine, each contributing something unique to the resulting blend. Touriga Nacional adds great color, tannins and aromatics.
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.