Dominó "Monte Pratas" Branco '18

The year 2010 marked the beginning of a new life for Vitor Claro. A celebrated chef in Portugal, he caught the wine bug, and along the way was mentored by Dirk Niepoort, whom Vitor had met while working at one of Dirk’s restaurants.
 
In 2010 Vitor made his first wine from a vineyard that he rented in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal. With the goal of producing well-balanced, fresh wines, he found a vineyard in Portalegre, a cool part of Alentejo at the base of the Serra de São Mamede foothills. Like many old vineyards, this one was co-planted to several different varieties. But there was something special about the vineyard, and, despite the minuscule production of the vines, the wine became noticed in the local wine scene. Vitor continued producing more wine, some from different parts of Portugal. In 2016, he decided to close his restaurant and focus solely on wine. He was even able to purchase that first vineyard, called “Salão Frio.” Dominó is a “garage” wine label, making around 2000 cases of wine in total. Vitor and his wife, Rita, do almost everything. They are dedicated natural wine producers.
 
The white wine “Monte Pratas” comes from the estate vineyard in Portalegre. It is a blend of old vines, including grapes such as Arinto, Fernão Pires, Alicante, Tamarez, and Perolo. The grapes are co-fermented in used oak barrels, and the wine is aged on its lees for 11 months before bottling.

The 2018 “Monte Pratas” is a beautiful and unique white wine, offering notes of fresh pear and apricot and baking spices on the nose. It is a wine with both freshness and texture, and a lingering mineral-driven finish. 
Pair this wine with grilled fish or simple summer salads.