Pollux Membership March 2022: Seller’s Remorse and the Little Green One
Douro Branco Riserva, Quinta Dona Matilde, Portugal 2018
There are worse things than leaning over the edge of an infinity pool, worse times to be doing such leaning than a Mediterranean August heat wave, and certainly worse places to be looking out at from said infinity pool than upriver into the heart of Portugal’s Douro Valley. I swear, the wine business is actually pretty brutal, but every time I tell someone a story like my visit to Quinta Dona Matilde, all the sympathetic equity I’d built heretofore runs very dry.
It’s 2014, and I’m actually visiting Dona Matilde as part of my honeymoon, but that day my new bride Michelle couldn’t be bothered with me: the intoxicating scenery of one of the world’s most beautiful wine regions combined with the stellar olive oil and fresh orange juice produced on property had rendered our marriage temporarily obsolete, and as she wandered the 85ha estate with her trusty Nikon, I got to chat up Dona Matilde’s septuagenarian owner, Manoel Moreira de Barros.
Manoel is a quiet and good-spirited man with a bronzed face but a fresh smile; he surveys the property of vineyards and groves that his family has owned since 1927 with the kindly approval of a grandfather. With only 28ha under vine, the property that Manoel’s father named after his mother (“Miss Matilde”) is minute by Douro Valley standards, and has one of the best locations in the region (it was classified as the Portuguese equivalent of Grand Cru by the Marquis de Pombal in 1785, when the property was known as Enxodreio). When Manoel’s father purchased the Quinta in 1927 it started the Barros family on a journey to becoming Douro Valley royalty and the proprietors of a wine empire that encompassed four different port houses and lasted for decades.
Then in 2006, Manoel and the family decided that their journey as Port scions had come to an end; they sold all of their holdings and looked to diversify: Manoel into a well-deserved retirement and his sons into different businesses. Almost immediately, Manoel tells me, he developed a profound case of seller’s remorse, particularly for the family estate, Quinta Dona Matilde. Manoel thought about his family’s life on the estate, raising his children in the house perched high on a hill above the Douro River, and asked himself what he had just done. The following morning, he was on the phone with the Spanish bank that had brokered the sale of his company: he wanted the sale to stand, except for Quinta Dona Matilde-would the buyers consider selling that small piece of his empire back to him? They relented, and so Manoel and his son Filipe retook control of their family’s home of nearly 80 years in early 2007. But Manoel no longer wanted to retire; now that he and Filipe had their family home back in the fold, it was time to start something new-and to largely forget about the wine that made the Douro Valley famous and their family rich.
It is easy to forget that while Port wine, the famous fortified offering of the Douro Valley, has been in existence since the 17th century, the vineyards clinging to these hillsides above the Douro river have been cultivated for 2,000 years-the ROMANS made wine here, for crying out loud-and yet by the early 2000s this region east of the coastal city of Porto was so synonymous with its dessert wine and the romantic history of port’s invention and production (a column for a different day) that most people outside of the Douro had never experienced a regular still wine from the area. Along with several other respected producers, Manoel and Filipe Barros decided to change that, and starting with the 2007 vintage (which coincidentally happened to be a world-class year for the Douro) they re-branded Quinta Dona Matilde as a small family winery devoted primarily to still wine production. As I tour the vineyards with them, from the white grapevines planted around and behind the house to the steep slab of old-vine red grapes that forcefully cling to a sun-drenched hillside facing downriver, it’s hard to understand how these still Douro wines have been so overlooked for so long. Perhaps, as I postulate to Filipe that afternoon, one of the tricky parts is the grapes themselves.
The Dona Matilde Branco Riserva is produced from native Portuguese varieties in the traditional Douro style of “field blending”-a catchy euphemism for “we have a lot of grapes here, and they’ve been planted next to and on top of each other for so long sometimes even we don’t know what the hell they are”. The prospect for confusion by the process of field blends-especially for American consumers who are routinely marketed to by grape variety and not by place or region-is compounded by another historical reality: Portugal has remained largely autonomous throughout its history. They never had a Moorish occupation like their Spanish neighbors, and hence their culture and traditions, from music and art to architecture and cuisine, are remarkably intact. Fortunately/Unfortunately, this applies to grape varieties as well, especially in the north of the country. The grapes grown are, even today, almost exclusively native Portuguese varietals, whose hard-to-pronounce names and lack of any real typicity (given that they’re almost always blended) make life miserable for newcomers trying to pin down the wines’ characteristics.
But we shouldn’t let that be an excuse to miss out on these truly breathtaking wines, and frankly, that’s why I’m here-to introduce you to a winery that I visited while carving out my future, and to share a story about sitting poolside with a man who wouldn’t let go of his past-D.
Quinta Dona Matilde Douro Branco Riserva 2018
Country of Origin: Portugal
Location: Quinta Dona Matilde sits just beyond the village of Peso da Regua, directly on the Douro River in the heart of the Douro Valley DO. The famous port producer of multiple brands, Symington, sits directly across the river.
Soil: Predominantly Schist.
Grape Varieties: Native Portgual white grapes Arinto, Viosinho, Rabigato, and Gouveio (Godello in Spain); the blending percentage varies by vintage.
Winemaking: Only the finest white grapes from the estate are selected for the Riserva. The grapes are pressed gently after hand-harvesting and then fermented in 300 litre oak barrels.
Aging: The wines then remain in those same 300 litre oak barrels to rest for six months before bottling.
Flavor Profile: The nose is intensely perfumed straight away, with a little bit of vanilla coming from the oak aging and then quickly switching to high-toned floral/herb (the strength of lilies, the aromatics of jasmine). Those floral/herb notes remain on the palate and sustain the wine all the way through the long finish, along with a generous bounty of tropical fruit (passion fruit, melon). The key to the Branco Riserva is how balanced this wine is-the tropical fruit makes the wine lively but the acidity of the grapes doesn’t let it get heavy. The oak aging makes the mouthfeel round and lush, but not dried out with excess oak tannin or overblown baking spice. The overwhelming feeling you’ll be left with upon drinking the Dona Matilde is its uniqueness-I hate comparison wine writing, so I’m not going to tell you what it’s similar to-the Dona Matilde is a singular, elegant white wine that combines acid and structure on the palate in a way that you won’t soon forget!
Availability: Total production is small (typically the VA/DC market will only see a scant 15-20 cases of each vintage) and what Gemini Wine Company has purchased is the last remaining of the 2018 vintage.
Toscana Rosso IGT, Tenuta Monteti, Italy 2013
Like most things in life, geography is easy to over-generalize; sometimes the very places themselves have a way of implanting images and notions into our heads in order to promote their interests. Tuscany, and Tuscan wineries, have long-since etched into our brains the stereotypical lush villa, surrounded by cypress trees, perched on a hill above a golden rolling landscape of vineyards and groves (so as not to be a total hypocrite, I’m aware that the GWC website includes a few of just these such images!). However, there are two things I believe that often elude us in looking at the “typical” Tuscan landscape. Number 1: Tuscany has a coastline. Number 2: The farther south you travel on that coastline, the more everything we think of in Tuscan wine lore-lengthy history, time-honored winemaking practices, and even the almighty Sangiovese grape-become less important. By the time you reach the southern edge of Tuscany, the road map for winemaking is so wide-open that you can do almost anything. Enter the Baratta family and Tenuta Monteti.
In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, around the same time that yours truly was discovering that the Tuscan city I was studying in (Lucca, west of Florence) was only a short train ride away from the aforementioned Tuscan coast/beach towns, Gemma and Paolo Baratta were founding Tenuta Monteti in the small town of Capalbio, in the province of Grosseto in southern Maremma. Armed with a desire to establish a new wine tradition in a region that really didn’t have much history (the property they chose for Tenuta Monteti was untended, with a derelict house that needed complete restoration) and one of the world’s most eminent wine consultants, Carlo Ferrini, at the helm, the Tenuta Monteti project was born. The valley in which the estate is located, only 15km from the coast, is 145m above sea level and protected from the elements by a large hill (the Monteti, from which the winery takes its name). Given that they had no rules to follow (there isn’t a DOC regulating this area of Maremma, so everything they produced was going to be labeled with the regional appellation IGT Toscana anyway), The Barattas and the eminent Mr. Ferrini planted grapes that directly coincided with what the land was telling them. Much like the already-famous estates in northern Maremma/Bolgheri (from which we derive many of the famous “Super-Tuscan” wines such as Sassicaia, Ornellaia, etc.) they discovered that Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc worked well in the soil and climate. The grape that they planted the most of, however, and the grape that their IGT 2013 Riserva leads with, is the “Little Green One”-Petit Verdot.
A minor blending grape in most of the regions where it is cultivated, including Bordeaux, Petit Verdot has a tendency to (as the name “Little Green One” suggests) be prone to underripe flavors that offset its inky color and mouthfilling body. At Tenuta Monteti, however, in a location still technically Tuscan yet closer in actuality to Rome than Florence, the warmer, coastal-influenced climate allows Petit Verdot’s true potential to be realized-riper, intense dark fruit that is at once strong and voluptuous-tasting the 2013 Riserva is for me a true experience of strength and elegance. The Baratta family’s investments in sustainability (certified by the Italian Ministry for Environment for exceptional vineyard/soil health, a totally gravity-controlled winery process to minimize environmental impact and protect the wine as it travels from press to aging) are just icing on the cake to the wine being what it is-sophisticated, complex, and utterly delicious.
One of the big reasons I love working in wine is because it’s constantly forcing you into an attempt at being a poor man’s Leonardo da Vinci-for every bottle, there’s a little geography, history, anthropology, chemistry, and the list goes on. Always learning is a humbling and exhilarating experience, and I couldn’t be happier to share Tenuta Monteti’s Riserva with you; this is a wine that reminds us that the world is bigger than we think, and some unchartered territory is still out there, waiting on people like the Baratta family to unlock the magic of their little corner of the world for us to enjoy-D.
Tenuta Monteti Toscana IGT Riserva 2013 Red Blend
Country of Origin: Italy
Location: As covered above, Tenuta Monteti lies in a valley in southern Maremma, in the Tuscan province of Grosseto. The vineyard enjoys south-southwest exposure at around 140-145m elevation.
Soil: A stony complex structure on the surface with many different rocks, followed by an underlayer of clay which supports well the Bordeaux varietals used in blend.
Grape Varieties: Petit Verdot 55%, Cabernet Sauvignon 25%, Cabernet Franc 20%.
Winemaking: Manual grape harvest. The fermentation is allowed to occur spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in a temperature-controlled environment of open tapered steel vats. Maceration lasts up to 21 days depending on the grape variety, and there is a long contact with the lees (spent grape skins) that drastically reduces the need for sulfite use. All the grapes are fermented and vinified separately throughout the entire process.
Aging: The wines (still with grapes separated) are nurtured in medium-toasted french oak barrels (70% new, 30% second use) for 20 months. Finally, the wine is blended at this point and bottled, with another 2 years of aging in the bottle before release.
Flavor Profile: The nose of the Monteti features some scents that continue on through the entirety of the palate as well-black currants, cassis, and dark cherries. The attack has great acidity that makes you instantly want food (and more of the wine!); wood-fired steak or game are the ticket here, and the more rustic the preparation the better. Mid-palate of dark cherries, dessicated blackberries and black currants, and the inky violet of the Petit Verdot lead to a finish that has balanced oak flavors (vanilla, nutmeg) and is warm and long but avoids being overly hot (the wine still stops at the base of the throat rather than a spirit-like ending in your chest). In short, the 2013 Riserva is a hit: if you like Sangiovese-based Tuscan wines like Brunello or Vino Nobile, you’ll love the acidity and the mineral character. Bordeaux-varietal lovers (be it France or the US) will love the dark fruits, round mouthfeel, and subtle oak influences-this wine is delicious now and I believe it will remain so for another 7-10 years as well.
Availability: The Riserva is only produced in the best vintages, and the yield of 35hl/ha is small for the area (on par with some Grand Cru Burgundy), leaving a total production of approximately 10,000 cases, of which we only see less than 100 come into the DC/VA market. Currently, there are less than 10 cases of the 2013 available with the importer, so enjoy it and let me know if you’d like some more!
Service Note: The Monteti 2013 is not fined or filtered before bottling, so there may be some naturally occurring sediment; I recommend giving the wine a brief decanting of around 30 minutes and stopping short of pouring out the last drops of the bottle.