Familia Carvalho Martins Douro Pacto Palhete 2025 750ml

PORTUGAL : DOURO : DOURO SUPERIOR

Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz

LIGHT-BODIED, VIOLET, BLUEBERRY, BLACK CHERRY, CRISP, NEUTRAL OAK

Palhete is an old Portuguese style: a light, chillable red made from red grapes pressed early, closer to a rosé in weight but with more structure and a touch of grip. It nearly disappeared under decades of Port and heavy Douro reds, and a handful of small producers are bringing it back on their own terms.

The Carvalho Martins family has worked Quinta Vale do Olmo, near Mêda in the Douro Superior, for four generations. Brothers Vasco and Rui Martins followed different careers before coming back to build a winery on the estate, and Pacto is their take on a classic Mêda palhete, made to be drunk cold. The vines sit at 530 to 600 meters on schist with traces of granite, and the cool nights hold the acidity that makes this style work. Serve cold.

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