Algarve wine just keeps on getting better and here we have another new launch from one of the top producers in the region that further demonstrates how well suited our stretch of coastline is to wine production. The small family-owned Quinta do Francês winery in the foothills of Monchique, near Silves on the Odelouca river, has already gained significant recognition for its reds, notably a Grande Gold Medal at the Brussels World Wine Challenge for their 2011 vintage.
More recently, owner and winemaker Patrick Agostini has been nurturing some Sauvignon Blanc vines, initially planted down near the river and replanted two years ago on the higher ground of the estate in slate soil.
Just 5,000 bottles were produced of the first vintage in 2017. Released on to the market just recently, I picked up a bottle at my local Intermarché supermarket costing around €11.
This is a wine for those of you who are perhaps not so keen on the exuberant style of most New World of Sauvignon Blanc and prefer the likes of a nice Pouilly-Fumé. The owner is, after all, a Frenchman and he has done a good job here of creating a Sauvignon Blanc that does justice to his estate’s name “The Winery of the Frenchman”.
The wine was fermented and aged for six months in used French oak, but the oak is integrated to the extent of not being noticeable on the nose, allowing the subtle grassy and tropical fruit aromas to come to the front. In the mouth, there is good acidity, a creamy structure and a clean fresh finish.
By Patrick Stuart
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