Quinta das Bageiras Fogueira rosé 2019

Full bottle 1,496 g. Baga with some Bical, fermented and aged in new oak (an experiment, apparently, because they wanted to 'break in' some new barrels). TA 7.3 g/l. 11,400 bottles produced. Light orangey-pink and smells of orange-skinned plums with a hint of red cherry as well as a light stony/mineral quality. A full-bodied rosé that tastes as if it is not bone dry, though I am told it is – perhaps it is just the fruit sweetness balancing the variety's high acidity. I did not expect this to be quite so silky and gentle in the mouth, but it is very much in the style of the Bágeiras whites, with ripe fruit, full body and great length and balance. You gradually realise how intense and yet harmonious the acidity is as you continue to taste/sip this wine, with a long, mouth-watering aftertaste. Extremely persistent and I'd never have thought it was fermeneted and aged in new oak – just shows how good the fruit is. Tastes more like a full-bodied white than a rosé – until you get those red-fruit flavours on the finish. I haven't tasted this wine before but, given this producer's track record, I am sure this will age much longer than my drink dates suggest. Masses of fruit pulled tight by the freshness.