Drink Date:2025 – 2028

I was able to taste the just-bottled 2023 Manoella Branco. This was a very balanced vintage, the growing season was almost perfect, and yields were good. The wine was a little closed for such an expressive year of wines with purity and freshness. It has notes of white flowers and fruit and a balsamic touch with the balance and harmony from the old vines.

Wine & Soul, Jorge Serdio and Sandra Tavares, have concentrated their efforts in the last years in the vineyards. They have grown from the initial two hectares for Pintas to over 40 hectares today. The portfolio has also grown, and so have volumes. They now produce 180,000 bottles, including Port. Published:Apr 04, 2024

All steel and no wood, this is a clear terroir snapshot in white grape form of the Douro Valley and also an extreme value. The production of this one is tiny and the availability is very limited. I find this to have the orchard fruit of a Rhone white, but with actual acidity (unlike Rhone whites), coupled with the body of a village Bourgogne or an un-oaked Godello from Spain. There is NO wood to distort the impact of flavor and texture so there are no oaky flavors present.

Grapes
Rabigato
Gouveio
Viosinho
Cdega do Larinho

– Terroir within the old and large Manoella vineyard
– After harvesting in the second week of September, the fruit was selected then crushed in a pneumatic press.
– A slow fermentation was carried out in stainless steel tanks at low temperatures for 4 weeks
– Aged on the fine lees for 6 months