Vineyard and winemaking
This 2009 Bairrada red brings together Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from vineyards planted across the clay-limestone hills of São Lourenço do Bairro, near Anadia. Atlantic influence tempers the growing season, helping the grapes combine deep ripeness with the acidity and firm structure needed for extended development.
The fruit was selected at harvest and fermented under controlled temperatures before maturation in French oak. The élevage built texture and integrated the varieties’ tannins, allowing Touriga Nacional’s perfume and dark fruit to sit alongside the breadth of Merlot and the shape of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Tasting notes
Appearance
Deep garnet with a brick-red edge, showing the colour of a wine in full maturity.
Nose
Damson, black cherry and dried blackberry are layered with violet, cedar and black pepper. Bottle age has added tobacco leaf, cocoa and a quiet earthy note without erasing the wine’s underlying fruit.
Palate
Full and settled, with mature black fruit wrapped in fine, resolved tannins. Savoury herbs, balsamic depth and dark chocolate appear through the middle, while Atlantic freshness keeps the long, gently spicy finish balanced.
Food pairing
Serve with braised ox cheek, roast leg of lamb with rosemary, venison cottage pie, or a mushroom and black garlic suet pudding. A firm Portuguese-style sheep’s cheese or mature Cheddar will also meet the wine’s savoury depth.
Background story
Colinas de São Lourenço was acquired in 2009 in the heart of Bairrada, with the estate extending across rolling clay-limestone vineyards. The project brought modern gravity-led cellar design and French oak maturation to a region whose maritime climate and varied grapes can produce notably structured, long-lived reds.
This first-vintage bottle is now mature and may show natural variation according to storage. Stand it upright before opening, decant carefully from any sediment and assess it in the glass; a long, forceful aeration is unlikely to be necessary. Serve at around 16–18°C.
