Serradinha Vinho Tinto Castelao Alfrocheiro 2020

Press 4 Mix/Red • November 2023 Direct Press Selection

António Marques da Cruz began working with his father in the family vineyards around 2003 when fatefully a ladybug landed on a bottle his father was just about to open. His father was so taken with the moment he decided to commemorate it with a wooden ladybug glued to every cork.

The Cruz family have maintained the estate since 1890 and Antonio is the first in his family to make wine his full time career. Also of note Serradinha was the first winery in Portugal to be certified organic. They are located in the northern town of Leiria and are included in the Lisbon appellation. He tends to make lower alcohol wines which run contrary to the wines currently in vogue in Portugal.

The Vinho Tinto ‘Castelão et al.’ is a blend of Castelão, Baga, Alfrocheiro, and Tinto Miúda. The grapes are destemmed and macerated for 10 days in an open-top wood vat. The grapes are then pressed and racked into 600L barrels and the wine is aged on lees for two years without racking. 20/30mg per liter of sulfur is added before fermentation and 20mg at bottling.

This Tinto is a sophisticated wine with aromatics of black plum, roses, violets, earth, black pepper, and black licorice. On the palate I found a refreshing yet firm mix of black cherry and plum, black pepper, textural earthy tannin, sage and rosemary. This would be a great pairing with lamb, steak, and roasted vegetables. Jeremy Hernandez