Villa Oeiras 15 Yr. Carcavelos

500ml.  This is one of the big three Portugese Vhino Generoso, down to 25 acres planted. The nose shows a light nut, spice. honey dried orange peel and golden raisin. The palate shows some secondary development with lambeed lemon peel, dried apricot and a saline hit from it time spent by (Lisbon) the sea. D&M Tasting Notes

Carcavelos is the smallest wine appellation in Portugal, and is located just west of Lisbon, along the Tagus estuary as it meets the Atlantic. Founded in the mid-18th century by the Marquis de Pombal, Carcavelos quickly gained renown, when it was gifted by King Jose I of Portugal to the court of Beijing in 1752 and later was featured in Christie’s first-ever London wine auction, appearing alongside Hock, Burgundy and Malaga. Yet production remained small relative to that of Port and Madeira, and the arrival of phylloxera in the late 19th century began Carcavelos’ slow fade—even as it was officially demarcated in 1908 and recognized with Port, Moscatel de Setúbal and Madeira as one of four traditional Portuguese Vinhos Generosos (fortified wines). Produced from a blend of up to nine different white and red varieties—Arinto, Gallego Dourado and Ratinho are the most common—its elevage traditionally ranged from 10-20 years, with barrels more or less topped-up, depending on the style of the producer. Oxidative in character, today Carcavelos is amongst the rarest of wines, with just one active producer, and its bottles rarely seen beyond Portuguese borders.

Villa Oeiras is the sole remaining producer of Carcavelos and was born of a partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and the municipality of Oeiras in 1983. Located on the former estate of the Marquis de Pombal at the Casal da Manteiga, its 12.5 hectares—roughly half of the entire DOC—are planted over calcareous soils 200 meters from the Tagus estuary, west of Lisbon. Derived from original Pombal cuttings—material that traces its roots back more than three centuries—Gallego Dourado, Arinto and Ratinho form the backbone of the 15-Year-Old blend, and the influence of the Atlantic Ocean features prominently in its signature. The wines are aged in a combination of Portuguese and French oak, initially at the Casal da Manteiga before transfer to the palatial cellars of the M. de Pombal for extended aging. Under the direction of winemakers Tiago Correira and Pedro Sá, Villa Oeiras is both benchmark and beacon of the Carcavelos appellation. Importer Notes