Domínio do Açor "Vila Romanha" Dão Tinto '21

As a wine professional, there is a moment when you visit a vineyard or wine estate for the first time and immediately realize what a special place it is. 
 
That was my feeling this past July when I visited Domínio do Açor for the first time. I had tried the wines before and was blown away, but seeing the place in person was something really special. The winery is in the tiny parish of Oliveira do Conde, which is part of the subregion of Terras de Senhorim, in the region of the Dão. 
 
A group of Brazilian friends purchased the property a few years ago and tapped two of Portugal’s most impressive wine people to lead the project. Luís Lopes is an extraordinarily talented oenologist, and someone with deep knowledge of the Dão. He spent eight years working at Quinta da Pellada and in recent years has consulted with António Madeira on his project. Joining him is Guilherme Corrêa, originally from Brazil, and one of the country’s top sommeliers. He moved to Lisbon and became the head of a local wine distributor, while at the same time writing about wine for the publications Revista de Vinhos de Portugal and Gula do Brasil. Not only are Luís and Guilherme involved, but they also have wine veteran João Costa installed as viticulturist, Pedro Parra helping identify the soils in the various parcels, and Marco Simonit consulting on the pruning and canopy management. This is a wine dream team. 
 
The vision of this winery is to produce very clear, elegant, estate-driven white and red wines with the ability to age and gain in complexity. These are terroir-driven wines, and, in the short time they winery has been in production, it has become noticed as one of Portugal’s top wineries. In my time in Portugal in July, these wines were at every top restaurant I visited, and that is saying a lot given their relatively small production. 
 
To introduce you to these wines, I’m offering the “Vila Romana” tinto at a special price in the month of December. 
 
This red is a blend of 70% Touriga Nacional and 30% Tinta Roriz from Domínio do Açor’s organically farmed estate vineyards. The soil is granite, both in the form of silt as well as rocks, quartz, and the mother-rock granite. 
 
In the winery, the grapes are fully destemmed without crushing, then undergo a two-day cold soak. Spontaneous fermentation is carried out in a combination of granite lagares and cement. Malolactic is carried out in stainless steel, and the wine is then racked into a combination of French and Austrian 400-liter and 500-liter barrels, with 50% also going into neutral cement vats. The wine is then aged for three more months in stainless steel before the final blending and bottling. 
 
The resulting wine is gorgeous. High-toned aromatics of sour cherry, citrus peel, and aromatic herbs. Silky and fresh on the palate, with a continuation of red fruit, combining with well-integrated tannins. The finish is long, complex, and fresh. 
 
A classic pairing with roasted baby goat, it also works well with game meats such as venison, or even a chicken stew with okra (Frango caipira com quiabo). 
 
Stock up on this wine—you can drink it now, and it will also age nicely over the next decade.