Forma de Arte Touriga Nacional 2023 Casal Monteiro

A deliciously dark and brooding red made from 100% estate grown Touriga Nacional - a grape variety best known for its use in Port. Pure, expressive, unoaked fruit with great structure and complexity.

2023 - 13.5% abv

Food pairing: Spicy dishes, meat and strong cheese.

Winemaking: This wine is the result of a minimalist winemaking process to allow the unique character of the terroir to shine through. Hand picked at the ideal maturation point, the grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks. Unoaked to allow the pure fruit character to take the leading role, the full-bodied structure was achieved by long a maceration and cuvasion until the end of the malolactic fermentation. Aged in stainless steel tanks for one year.

Quinta do Casal Monteiro is located in one of the most prestigious wine growing areas in Portugal - the Tejo region. This area takes its name from the Tagus river, which flows through the vineyards and provides a complex patchwork of terroir and micro-climates.

Situated about an hour and a half's drive north-east of Lisbon, Casal Monteiro was established in 1979 by Miguel de Jesus. The 60-hectare estate bottles limited production wines, all sourced from their own vineyards. The vines are located in alluvial sandy loam soils where the sub-Mediterranean temperate climate and its proximity to the river Tagus, provide cool climate-style whites and reds, with a tell-tale freshness due to the wines' natural acidity.

In 2015 Luis Santos was appointed the winemaker at Quinta do Casal Monteiro. After seven years as resident winemaker at Carregal do Sal (Quinta de Cabriz), Luis is currently in charge of both the winegrowing and winemaking, responsible for all wine products produced and bottled at the Estate.