4.5 Review: Herdade de São Miguel, Rosé
I’ve been writing about a lot of wines from the Alentejo region of Portugal over the past couple years. One reason for that is QPR – quality-to-price ratio. QPR ultimately is core to my mission with this website — to highlight wines that offer great quality at affordable prices.
Over the past few decades, the EU has offered funds to Portuguese winemakers, enabling them to improve their facilities and vineyards. The results of those investments are evident in much of the wine from this region. Yet, the prices for these wines are still typically quite reasonable.
Sustainability is one of the areas where producers in Alentejo have invested. They now have an award-winning sustainability program, in which all of Alentejo’s main producers participate. Herdade de São Miguel is one of the participating producers.
This particular rosé blew me away. In addition to using native Portuguese grapes in the blend, a “sur lie” ageing was used in the production process. This is a step where the wine is kept in contact with dead yeast cells in order to add richness to the wine.
Tasting Notes
Lemon, cranberry, raspberry, honeysuckle and dill aromas offer a lot more complexity than I expect from a rosé. On the palate, the lemon dominates. This would be a great rosé to enjoy with oysters! There is also a cranberry flavor and a good salinity. The acidity is outstanding. The mouthfeel is pleasant. It finishes with salty lemon flavors that last for minutes.
Wine: Herdade de São Miguel, Rosé
Varieties: Touriga Nacional, Syrah and Aragonez (i.e., Tempranillo)
Vintage: 2020
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 90
Average price: $15.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.
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