Natus Branco 2023
Region: Alentejo
Producer: Natus Vini
Lemon color, with green highlights. Citrus aroma, notes of stone fruit. Complex in the palate, the reactivity delivered by the tannins extracted during the skin contact, give freshness and texture.
| Volume | 75.0 cl. |
| Grape Variety | Roupeiro, Antão Vaz & Gouveio |
| Drinking window | 2024-2030 |
| Alc. | 12.5% |
| Vinification | The traditional grape varieties, mainly Roupeiro, Antão Vaz and Gouveio, were hand-picked and foot trodden.<br />At the spontaneous start of fermentation, the grapes were pressed and the must kept in 19th century clay pots (Talhas) and used oak barrels until the end of the alcoholic fermentation. |
| Ripening | The wine ages for 8 months in full lees, with a slight agitation every month. |
Waar serveer je ’m bij?
In the heart of Vidigueira, on schist soils against the southern flank of the Serra do Mendro: warm climate, cool nights. Roupeiro, Antão Vaz and Gouveio, hand-picked and foot-trodden, spontaneously fermented, and then eight months on the lees with a light stirring every month. That monthly agitation is what you feel in the mouth — a creamy, broad middle around a core of yellow fruit. Complexity ten at a weight of ten: as much to tell as to carry.
Pan-fried wolffish with tomato and capers
Chicken and pepper paella
Serveren op 11–13 °C
Drink: 2025–2030
Full bottle 1,333 g. Vineyards in Vidigueira, in the southern foothills of Serra do Mendro, in poor schist soils – a hot climate, buffered by cool nights. The traditional local grape varieties, mainly Roupeiro, Antão Vaz and Gouveio, were hand-picked and foot-trodden for 2 days. At the spontaneous start of fermentation, the grapes were pressed and the must kept in 19th-century clay pots (talhas) and used oak barrels until the end of the alcoholic fermentation. The wine aged for 8 months on full lees, with a slight stirring every month. Light filtration. TA 5.4 g/l, pH 3.4.
Pale greeny lemon colour. Intensely pure citrus and green apple and a hint of white blossom. Creamy impression, too, even though it is vibrant and fresh. In the mouth, this has depth as well as freshness, the Antão Vaz adding some breadth. The texture is firm and dry but also rounded. Explosive fruit as well as a stony/salty finish. Delicious and persistent. Should age well.
Hamilton Reis planted his own vineyard by hand in 2008 in Vidigueira, deep in the Alentejo, and farms it fully organically. He ferments in the region's traditional amphorae, but without the skins, then ages the wine in large wooden casks.