Moreish "Común" Vinho Tinto '21

Luís Lopes is one of Portugal’s top oenologists. He studied in Portugal, and then had the chance to travel the world, working in Burgundy, Germany and New Zealand. He eventually returned “home” and worked at Quinta da Pellada in the Dão, one of Portugal’s most heralded producers. It was at Pellada in 2013, when he made his own wine, the first vintage of what is now called “Moreish.” Eventually, he left Quinta da Pellada, and in 2019 he was able to use a friend’s cellar to begin again the Moreish project. 
 
Today Luís is a very busy guy. His main job is as the head oenologist of Domínio do Açor, a new superstar property in the Dão. He also still consults with another producer in the Dão, as well as in Bairrada and even Spain. When he has a chance to purchase small quantities of grapes from these estates he does, and produces them under the Moreish label. So this is not a winery dedicated to one terroir, one region, but rather Luís has the freedom to be creative and work with great vineyards and make fun “experiments.” 
 
“Común” Vinho Tinto is one such “experiment,” a wine from Extremadura in Southern Spain. The wine is made at Bodegas Palacio Quemado, which is co-owned by the Alvear family, a famous producer from Montilla-Moriles. 
 
This wine is made from 100% Garnacha, from clay and limestone soil. The grapes are treated with minimal intervention, allowing them to ferment with native yeast in concrete tanks, and then aged for 20 months in demi-muits, a French term used for 600-liter barrels. The wine is not fined or filtered.
 
I call this wine the “Rayas of Extremadura,” which is a joking way to say that this is easily the best example of Grenache from Extremadura that I’ve ever tried. I love the purity of this wine, as it has a wild strawberry note with lots of an almost “garrigue” like herbal note on the nose. Despite coming from a very warm climate, this doesn’t show any markings of liqueur like fruit, it just shows itself as a pure, savory style, that is so much fun to drink. Roasted lamb chops are an ideal match for this terrific red! We are the first place in the United States to receive this super-small-production wine, with just over 1,000 bottles made.