Herdade de São Miguel, Alicante Bouschet

The last couple reviews I posted, here and here, were of alicante bouschet wines from the Alentejo region of Portugal. I have one more of these wines to share with you all, and this is the best one yet!

Herdade de São Miguel is based in Redondo, which is pretty much in the center of the Alentejo region. For what it’s worth, Alentejo is about the same size as Massachusetts.

In producing this wine, the producers harvested the grapes at night in order to preserve the vibrancy and freshness of the fruit. They also employed skin contact with the juice during fermentation and maturation in French oak. The result is delightful.

This wine smells magical and exotic, offering incense-like fragrances. It’s like a melange of vanilla, nutmeg, blackberry, cherry and earthy aromatics. The palate is bright and fresh with raspberry and blackberry flavors. While there is plenty of structure, it’s not an overly big, bold wine. It’s quite approachable. The finish is bright and clean with raspberry and mineral flavors.

Wine: Herdade de São Miguel, Alicante Bouschet
Varieties: 100% alicante bouschet
Vintage: 2015
Alcohol: 15%
Rating: 92
Average price: $23.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.