My Vineyard Blog June 2014
Pedra Basta Limited Edition - Vineyard Selection – Lote Especial
We were so impressed with the Syrah-Viognier lote last year that we put four barrels to one side to see how it evolves. Syrah was one of the first grapes to be harvested and, picked before the rain, the wine has developed beautifully with a restrained, Rhone-like character. There is a touch of chocolatey concentration and, above all, great finesse and acidity which is especially evident on the finish. This week we felt confident enough to send a sample of the wine to a Portuguese journalist in advance of the release of Pedra Basta Limited Edition 2013 later this year.
S. João round these parts
I was in Castelo de Vide today in time to see a statue of S. João being paraded solumnly round the town accompanied by the local brass band. A much more sober event than in Oporto where, on the eve of S. João, they go round hitting each other on the head with squeaky plastic hammers!
Early Summer in the Serra
After a very damp winter and a relatively cool spring we have had our first burst of heat with the thermometer rising close to 40oC for a couple of days earlier this month. I notice that a few exposed pea-sized berries have been scorched. At the start of summer however we a sitting under a depression with grey skies and temperatures back in the high teens. Thunderstoms threaten. It looks as though we have a good-sized crop this year.