Pegos Claros Tinto Reserva 2019 750ml
Trivia question: This was the most widely planted variety in Portugal for decades, covering a vast and productive swath from the south up to the west-central Atlantic coast. Since 2004, its surface has halved, with more familiar names like Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) overtaking it.
What is it?
The answer, Castelão, You’d be forgiven if it doesn’t ring a bell. Loved (and perhaps abused by) growers for its ability to adapt to almost any conditions and, with a bit of irrigation, yield a prodigious crop of pleasantly innocuous blending material, it never attained an actual fine wine reputation as it requires a rare mix of perfect terroir, low yields, and sensitive handling to strut its stuff as a world-class red.
Thankfully, we’ve found a terrific estate that checks all those boxes.
Founded in 1920 in the Setúbal Peninsula southeast of Lisbon, Pegos Claros is an insider’s secret for the unique quality of its Castelão. Most of the estate’s ground is given over to cork oak and pine forest, but its grapevines are a treasure trove of venerable Castelão likely without parallel: thirty solid hectares planted in the 1920s and the 1950s in a meter of sandy topsoil. In an average year, these unirrigated elders yield just 20 hectoliters per hectare of small-berried goodness.
- 100% Castelão
- Sourced from 70-year old vines planted in pure & deep sand
- Fermented in concrete lagar with 30% stems over 8 days
- Raised for 12-14 months in used 225L and 500L French barrels
"From grapes of 70-year-old vines, this ripe wine is richly structured and has a dense texture. It has a fine juicy black currant flavor; a layer of freshness adds to the wine's concentration. It's ready to drink. 91 points" The Wine Enthusiast