There is a certain gravitas to Mouchao's wines. Given fruit that could easily return simple wines offering great, gulpable pleasure but little else, Mouchao opts instead for head-turning wines that invite deeper consideration, even with their entry-level offerings.
In the glass look for a dark, ripe, wine that is a little brooding, with a firm texture of fine-grained tannins providing presence and freshness. The wine succeeds where many fail - delivering complexity without heaviness. The primary grape is Alicante Bouschet, a rare grape that has red flesh under its skins.
Grape varieties with red pulp are quite rare. Peel most any red grape and you'll find a light greenish pulp. Give it a squeeze and clear juice flows out - all the color comes from the skins.
These rare red grapes with red pulp and juice are in a class known as "Teinturier" (the French word for "dyer"!) - this class includes the Alicante Bouschet grape used in this wine.
They produce deeply pigmented wines rich in tannins and anthocyanins that provide anti-aging benefits.
As these wines show their best stuff several years after release, I opted for the oldest vintage currently available - the 2015 - which is now ready for immediate enjoyment. And the price? Truly unbelievable.
Herdade do Mouchao is to Portugal what Lopes de Heredia is to Spain - an iconic producer largely under the radar except for those with the time to pay close attention. They are the oldest active winery in Portugal's Southernmost region of Alentejo (allen TEH jho), beloved by wine writers that include Jancis Robinson (one of my favorites), Sarah Ahmed and Hugh Johnson.
How do they regularly produce such world-class reds and stunning, age-worthy whites? Well, they integrate modern trellising techniques, designed to offset the challenges of climate change, with traditional production techniques including gentle foot-treading and prolonged barrel aging before additional bottle aging prior to release.
