Back in July last year, I wrote about the white under the same label as this red XXVI Mestre Daniel. The Roman numerals refer to the 26 claypots that make up the total production of the adega in the Alentejo town of Vila Alva.
I was impressed by the white, a full-bodied unfiltered wine with surprising tannic structure, and so I was expecting something similarly powerful from the red.
But the 2018 currently available at Apolonia (€19.95) is a surprisingly light and fresh red made from Trincadeira, Aragonês and Tinta Grossa grapes.
Being unfiltered, the wine throws a lot of sediment and needs to be left standing for a while and then decanted. The colour is ruby red and on the nose, there are notes of red fruits and violet, light to medium bodied in the mouth with great acidity, red berry fruit flavours, soft tannins and a dry finish.
