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Wine Description
The Story
Quinta da Fonte Souto is Symington family’s first property outside the Douro region. Quinta da Fonte Souto is in the Portalegre subregion of the Alto Alentejo in southern Portugal. Close to the São Mamede range (1,025 metres), the property benefits from the area’s altitude with its cooler microclimate in sharp contrast to the Alentejo region’s typically hot and dry conditions. Yields are low due to the schist and granite soils, which are less fertile than those found in the flat and rolling terrain which characterizes the majority of the Alentejo.
There are 207 hectares on the property, of which 43 are planted with vines. The principal grape varieties are Aragonês, Alfrocheiro, Trincadeira, Alicante Bouschet, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The property has a substantial chestnut grove, from which its name is derived — ‘souto’ refers to a wooded area planted with chestnut trees. Furthermore, the property has a large forested area amounting to 100 hectares, a third of which is covered with cork oaks, very much a feature of the Alentejo landscape.
The first vintage under Symington family ownership was the 2017, and the grapes were vinified on site in the estate’s well-equipped winery. The debut vintage couldn’t have been more auspicious and we produced some very good white and red wines. The exceptionally hot and dry debut year showed the benefit of the vineyard’s altitude, which ranges from 490 to 550 metres. We will release 5 wines in 2019 (2 whites and 3 reds).
Total Area 207 hectares
Vineyard Area 43 hectares
Principal Grape Varieties (Red) Trincadeira, Aragonês, Alfrocheiro, Alicante Bouschet, Syrah, Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon; (White) Arinto, Verdelho, old mixed varieties
Vineyard Aspect Predominantly south and south-west although gradients are gentle
Altitude Range 490 — 550 metres
Average Annual Rainfall 600 mm
Average Annual Temperature 16ºC
Winery Stainless steel vats with temperature control
Wine Information
The Florão Red and White represent the most approachable wine style from the Fonte Souto estate, made with all the attention to detail and care of the other estate wines, but with a more youthful profile intended for drinking young. Their freshness, balance and structure clearly identify them as wines born of the unique Fonte Souto terroir.
WINEMAKING: The hand-picked grapes are placed in small, shallow boxes and taken to the on-site winery. Manual sorting is followed by destemming and gentle crushing after which the grapes are transferred to a pneumatic press for a light pressing. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats at low temperatures in order to conserve the wine’s aromatic expression. The start of malolactic fermentation is prevented, thus ensuring the wine’s crisp, fresh character.
WINEMAKERS: Charles Symington, Pedro Correia and José Daniel Soares.
GRAPE VARIETIES: 65% Arinto and 35% Verdelho
AGEING: Four months in stainless steel vats with minimal contact with oxygen in order to preserve the wine’s aromatic freshness. Bottled in February 2020.
STORAGE & SERVING: Ready to drink but will develop favourably in bottle for a further 2 to 3 years.
TASTING NOTE: Attractive aromatic exuberance with peach and white plum notes as well as hints of green apples and lemon, reflecting the importance of the Arinto variety in the wine’s make up. The palate has a smoky trace with vibrant acidity underscoring fine freshness and the characteristic minerality of Fonte Souto’s soils. The finely textured finish reflects superb balance.
TECHNICAL DETAILS:
Alcohol: 13.70% vol.
Volatile acidity: 0.4 g/L (acetic acid)
Total acidity: 6.14 g/L (tartaric acid)
pH: 3.34
Total sugars (gluc+fruct): 0.5 g/L
Allergy advice: Contains Sulphites
Compatible with vegetarian and vegan diets
Vintage 2019
In Portalegre the agricultural year was dry and relatively mild with the wide diurnal temperature variations during the hotter months contributing to even progression of the maturations and to the preservation of the acidity in the grapes, which reached the vintage particularly fresh and with aromatic exuberance. There was some rain during August in the lead up to the vintage and this rebalanced the vines in the final ripening stretch and created the conditions necessary for completion of phenolic maturation. Yields were relatively low, and this contributed to better balance and higher quality in the grapes. We produced very fresh, elegant wines, whilst still taut and with a well-defined texture. In this third vintage in Portalegre ,we made wines that were the closest yet to the typical profile of this subregion.
