Quinta da Carolina - 2020 - Xis Branco

Born from a meticulous quest for excellence, this white wine hails from the Adorigo/Barcos region in Douro. Sourced from over 90-year-old vines planted in schist soils at a cool, north-facing aspect (500-550 meters above sea level), it is a field blend dominated by Malvasia Fina with smaller contributions of Gouveio, Rabigato, Dona Branca, and Viosinho. A dry 2019 vintage facilitated a slow ripening process, resulting in well-balanced fruit. Vinified in an oxidative style, the grapes were pressed vertically and fermented spontaneously in used barrels. The wine spends a year aging on its thick lees in these barrels, undergoing partial malolactic fermentation (which only occurred in a third of the barrels in 2019). After a year, the wine is transferred with its lees to stainless steel tanks for winter static decantation before bottling in May 2021. This unique process results in a complex and expressive white wine.