Quinta da Fonte Souto Branco 2023

The nose is loaded with flinty and citrusy notes, followed by juicy peachy stone fruits. Then you get this lovely vanilla and creaminess on the palate, all the while keeping a good, fresh crispness. It all comes together beautifully, making a white that's poised, elegant, and generous in nature.

The hand-picked grapes are placed in small, shallow boxes and taken to the on-site winery. Manual sorting is followed by destemming and gentle crushing after which the grapes are transferred to a pneumatic press for a light pressing. Fermentation begins in stainless steel vats but immediately after alcoholic fermentation commences, part of the must is transferred to 500-litre French oak barrels (this higher capacity minimises the impact of the wood on the aromatic component).

The must is left in contact with the lees with frequent bâtonnage (stirring the lees) in order to encourage extraction of compounds that contribute complexity and structure and that balance very well with the good acidity provided by the altitude of the São Mamede Range.