Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Ribeiro Santo Encruzado was partly (50%) aged in new French oak for six months, the rest in stainless steel. It comes in very dry and at 13.7% alcohol. Given the wood, if nothing else, this is a very different style of Encruzado than the Granitico Vinha de Santa Maria this issue. This aims less for steeliness and more for concentration and velvety texture, although it does everything well. At a very nice price, this mature wine is superb today. It has pulled in its wood well. The dense mid-palate soaks it up. It is a great choice for a food wine with the stuffing to hold up to foods at the table. Personally, I liked the style of the Granitico more, but reasonable minds might differ, and this has the advantage of age. It also depends on what foods you pair them with. It is certainly a super bargain, and it seems to be available now from the information I received.
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
Producing some of the country’s most dignified and mineral-driven red wines, Dão is positioned in north central Portugal where granite mountains surround and shelter the region from any Atlantic maritime influence. Summers are long and warm; winters see abundant rainfall.