From: Duoro, Portugal
Varietals: Rabigato, Malvasia Fina
Taste: The 2021 Pormenor Branco greets you with a vibrant, clean straw color. On the nose, it exudes restrained floral notes interwoven with robust minerality. The well-marked acidity brings a lively blend of citrus, green apple, and pineapple, accented with a whiff of green herbs.
As it graces your palate, the Pormenor Branco reveals a good tension and intensity, characteristic of old vines—a graceful acidity and a medium-long finish balance the wine. A subtle hint of wood is detected, harmoniously integrated with slight oxidation from aging in used barrels. It stands as a testament to its aging potential.
Pairing: The 2021 Pormenor Branco is a versatile companion to an array of dishes. It pairs well with medium-fat foods, fish dishes, white meats, soft cheeses, and poultry. A plate of codfish or a creamy risotto would be a sublime match for this wine.
In every sip of the 2021 Pormenor Branco, one experiences meticulous attention to detail, a passion for authenticity, and respect for the vineyards at the heart of Pormenor's winemaking philosophy. It is a remarkable representation of the Douro DOC, a wine that genuinely sings of its place of origin.
About: Pedro Coelho, the mastermind behind Pormenor, embarked on his winemaking journey in 2013 with a vision of producing authentic, traditional, and non-standardized wines. He firmly believes that "less is more," an approach that has subtly defined every bottle of wine that leaves the Pormenor cellars.
At Pormenor, the art of winemaking begins in the vineyard. Every grape tells a tale of the land, the climate, and the hands that tend to them, and it is these tales that Pedro seeks to encapsulate in each bottle. Working with different old vineyards located at high altitudes in varying parts of the Douro Valley, Pormenor's focus remains steadily on the grapes, the schist and granite soil, and the land's raw beauty.
From handpicking the harvests to minimal intervention in the cellar, from using indigenous yeasts and low sulfur to avoiding all unnatural additives, the ultimate aim is to make wines that speak of their origin, telling authentic stories of the vineyards and the people who care for them. Through low extraction and long macerations, Pormenor creates elegant, mineral-focused wines with natural freshness, high acidity, and typically lower alcohol content, promising excellent aging potential.
The grapes for the 2021 Pormenor Branco come from venerable vines, some over 80 years old, planted at altitudes between 550m-650m in Pombal de Anises - Douro Superior. North and southeast-facing, these vines are rooted in transition soils of schist and granite that impart a unique freshness to the wine.
The harvest for the 2021 Pormenor Branco took place in the first week of September. The grapes, Rabigato and Malvasia Fina, were carefully selected and gently pressed. Their juice decanted naturally at low temperatures for 24 hours. The fermentation was entirely spontaneous, driven by indigenous yeasts, without any control, and devoid of malolactic fermentation.
Aging took place over 11 months, in the same barrels, on the lees, and with minimal bâttonage. This wine was stabilized and unified before bottling so that it may produce natural sediments over time. The commitment to minimal intervention is upheld throughout the cellar work, with no additives used at any stage.
