In 2022 we made our first prototype of the wines from the vineyards. Made in the most rudimentary and traditional methods possible this would give us the best idea of the profile of the grapes and terroir possible.
There are an uncontrollable number of variables in winemaking, this first year was as close as we could get to an Archimedean point as possible. Which we were glad for, because in this test we found something interesting, the Terroir of Avenal the village itself.
Lisbon is normally considered a temperate but wet region of Portugal, especially north of Montejunto where the Atlantic winds cool the region down. Within the protected zone of Avenal, however, we found the grapes had a high ripening potential, too high in some cases, which was unusual.
Secondly we discovered Vital, a native variety to the Montejunto region, which had fallen out of favour due to its high mildew sensitivity making it difficult to grow. The flavour of this wine was incredible and now proving to be a very popular choice.
Our winemaking was then governed around the quality of this particular grape.
