Carm Family Douro Vinha do Bispado Tinto 2023 750mL

PORTUGAL : DOURO : DOURO SUPERIOR

ORGANIC : Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca

MED-BODIED, WILD BLACKBERRY, FIG, DARK PLUM, SCHIST, OAK

The Roboredo Madeira family has farmed this corner of the Douro Superior since the 1600s. In 1966 Celso Madeira planted the first bulldozer-terraced vineyard in the Douro; in 1995 he converted the whole operation — 200 hectares of vine, plus olives and almonds — to organic farming, three decades before the market started paying for it.

Fruit comes off Quinta do Bispado, twenty-year-old vines rooted in schist at 1,200 feet, close enough to the Spanish border that summers routinely clear 40°C. All estate-grown; CARM buys no fruit.

Cold-soaked for a day, fermented eight days in broad, low stainless vats, then eight months split between French barrels and tank. 2023 handed the Douro its best growing season in years — moderate heat, acid retained, and a standout Touriga Nacional, which is 40% of this blend. It lands at 13% and drinks like a dinner wine.

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