Mouchão Dessert Early Bottled 2015
99,95€ VAT included
Mouchão’s vintage fortified wine.
Hand harvested and foot-trodden in open lagares from a selection of the best Alicante Bouschet and Touriga Nacional grapes. Mouchão Early-Bottled is left to mature for 30 months in old sweetened pipes, before being bottled and left to age for as long as 30 years.
The Sobremesa-Dessert was a term used by “Bouncer” Reynolds in the 1950s for Mouchão’s fortified wines, which have been produced since at least 1901. The recently created Early-Bottled Sobremesa-Dessert is the estate’s ‘vintage fortified’ edition, released every four to six years under optimal growing conditions.
MOUCHÃO DESSERT TONEL AGED 2015 – TECHNICAL INFORMATION
VINIFICATION
Fortified wine has been produced at Mouchão since at least 1901, using traditional winemaking techniques. Hand harvested and foot-trodden in open lagares from a selection of the best Alicante Bouschet (85%) and Touriga Nacional (15%) grapes. Cold-soaked for 24 hours and trodden frequently during fermentation. At optimal Baumé (sweetness) and with development of secondary aromas and desired flavour traits, fermentation is interrupted using the very best neutral spirit. This Early-Bottled fortified wine was left to mature for 30 months in old, sweetened port pipes, before being bottled ‘for the long haul’. Released only every four to six years under optimal growing conditions to produce this iconic “Sobremesa-Dessert”.
VITICULTURE
Vineyard plots and varieties are harvested separately. Alicante Bouschet is exclusively from our oldest vineyard the Vinha dos Carapetos, 27 years old at harvest. Since 2010, yields for this vineyard block have averaged 4.03t/Ha, contributing significantly to concentration. Our best Touriga Nacional was sourced from the small twenty-year-old Adega vineyard.
GROWING SEASON 2015
The first of a sequence of drought years with negligible winter rainfall but, excepting the heat in June and July, the growing season was faultless. Harvest conditions were close to perfect.
TASTING NOTES
Alicante Bouschet provides complexity, structure and backbone that underpins the elegant aromatic component bestowed by Touriga Nacional. Intense deep black fruits, combined with a minty eucalyptus freshness. Full and wonderfully rich, with warm notes of cocoa and spice. This wine can be admired in its youth but will continue to improve with cellaring.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Decant or open 2 to 6 hours beforehand. Serve chilled at 12-14ºc accompanying Stilton or local ripe sheep’s cheese, almond or pecan tart, chocolate mousse, or strawberries and cream.
Technical Sheets: 2015