Rafael Red 2023
12,79€ VAT included
Contemporary and unmistakably Alentejo in character, Rafael is a versatile red wine, ideal for pairing with a wide range of culinary experiences.
Produced from grapes grown in historic vineyards of Aragonêz, Trincadeira, Castelão and Alicante Bouschet, the fruit for this wine is hand-harvested and carefully selected, then foot-trodden and fermented in the estate’s traditional open stone lagares. These are the very same winemaking methods that have been used at Herdade do Mouchão for more than a century and have helped establish Rafael as one of the region’s most renowned red wines.
Dom Rafael Red is aged for 12 months in chestnut and Portuguese oak vats as well as French oak barrels, followed by a further 12 months of bottle ageing before release.
RAFAEL RED 2023 – TECHNICAL DATA SHEET
WINEMAKING
At Mouchão, ALL red wines are vinified in open stone lagares (traditional fermentation tanks). Whole bunches, including stems, are incorporated into the maceration process, making the timing of the harvest especially critical. Hand-harvested grape clusters are foot-trodden twice daily and remain in the lagar for 4 to 6 days while fermentation takes place. This young wine undergoes malolactic fermentation during the autumn in large wooden vats (5,000L) and in both new and used oak barrels (up to 25% of the final blend). In mid-winter, it is filtered and then left to mature without intervention for approximately 12 months. After bottling, it continues to age for a further 12 months before being released to the market.
VITICULTURE
The grape varieties Aragonêz, Trincadeira, Castelão & Alicante Bouschet are sourced from well-drained alluvial soils (Adega, Ponte das Canas, Várzea Estreita and Carrapetos vineyards), Mediterranean red soils with limestone profiles (Dourada vineyard), or clay-rich and skeletal soils (Barragem and Mouchão Velho vineyards), all of which were over 20 years old at the time of harvest.
THE 2023 VINTAGE
The 2023 growing season was characterised by a particularly rainy winter followed by a very hot July.
TASTING NOTES
Ripe yet vibrant and expressive aromas, with red and black fruit; dark chocolate and minty spice notes. Dense and full-bodied on the palate, with richness derived from oak ageing; smooth, with delicate fruit, a velvety texture, refreshing acidity, and a deliciously persistent finish.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Delicious with most meat dishes, as well as tapas, codfish and oily fish.
Suitable for drinking over the next 10 to 15 years.