2020 Topper’s Mountain Touriga & Tintas Kvevri

Tasting Notes

Kvevri is a large clay amphorae dug in the ground which has been used for thousands of years to make white and red wines in Georgia. When we found that our friends from Granite Belt based La Petite Mort winery purchased 12 of these (from Georgia of course) we didn´t hesitate a minute and asked to ´borrow´ one for our Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão and Tinta Roriz blend. Co-fermentation of these varieties has a centuries-old tradition in the Douro Valley in Portugal. Grapes were destemmed and put into kvevri to ferment and age for 180 days! What comes out is unbelievably juicy and fresh wine boasting of all kinds of black fruits, dried herbs, liquorice and spice. At the same time it has very precise and soft tannin structure although it didn´t spend a single minute in oak barrel. That´s what clay vessels are all about – creating great fruit aromas and flavours yet providing perfectly shaped tannic backbone.