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Quinta do Avelar
Set amid a 243-hectare forest preserve in the rolling hills of Freixial that was once the home of João Camillo Alves, father of modern-day Bucelas, Quinta do Avelar is now owned by the Geraldes Barba family and is perhaps the last great estate of the Bucelas DOC. It maintains several vineyards on the property, each planted to Arinto more than fifty years ago, as well as a ten-hectare vineyard of Arinto, Esgana Cão and Rabo do Ovelha at the valley entrance to the village of Bucelas. Farming is organic (though not yet certified) and under the guidance of longtime winemaker Mario Andrade, the family continues to uphold the tradition of long-aged Bucelas, a historic style now all but disappeared.
Quinta do Avelar Bucelas 2015
Portugal ➜ Lisboa VR ➜ Bucelas DOC 12.5% ABV
12.5% ABV
Bottled in mid-2022 after an extended, seven-year elevage, this stunning wine stands an exemplar of the once common but now exceedingly rare tradition of long-aged Bucelas. Hand-harvested from the traditional calcario soils that flank the Trancão river as it bisects the Bucelas appellation, Arinto and Rabo de Ovelha are fermented with native yeasts in steel tank and the wine undergoes its lengthy elevage on the lees. A small quantity of Sercial (Esgana Cão) is fermented separately, in tank and in ancient barrels, before final blending and bottling. Full details
