Crazy Hatter Dão White wine 2020
DOC, Niepoort, 750 ml
| Grape variety: | Encruzado, Cercial, Borrado de Moscas, Rabo de ovelha |
| Producer: | Dirk van der Niepoort |
| Origin: | Portugal / Dão |
Description
Dirk van der Niepoort's dream has long been to create wines in the microclimate of the granite-rich vineyards of the Dãos. He found what he was looking for and his crazy idea in these crazy times took shape in the form of this wine: The Crazy Hatter White! From indigenous grape varieties planted more than 50 years ago in the traditional blended style, this refined white wine was created: very traditional like in the good old days, to add complexity to the wines. On the nose, the white Dão is invitingly floral and fruity, reminiscent of white flowers, peaches, vanilla cream and a hint of mint. On the palate, one is struck by its juiciness, its "vibrant" citrus aromas, cool, refreshing mint notes and yellow stone fruit flavours. Remarkably delicate with a pleasant grip and well balanced. Its mouthwatering salinity makes it a very enjoyable wine to drink. About the label: Those who have seen Niepoort know that he often wears a hat
Attributes
| Origin: | Portugal / Dão |
| Grape variety: | Encruzado, Cercial, Borrado de Moscas, Rabo de ovelha |
| Ripening potential: | 2 to 6 years after harvest |
| Drinking temperature: | 10 to 12 °C |
| Food Pairing: | Apéro riche, Grilled fish, Scaloppine di vitello al limone, Seafood salad |
| Vinification: | fermentation in steel tank |
| Harvest: | strict selection |
| Maturation: | in cement tank, on the yeast |
| Volume: | 12.0 % |
| Note: | Contains sulphites |
Dirk van der Niepoort
Dirk van der Niepoort - great ambassador of the fantastic wines from the Douro Valley, is also active and creative in other Portuguese wine regions. His dream has long been to make wines in the microclimates of the Alentejo and Dãoos. The talented self-made winemaker, who likes to wear a hat, found what he was looking for and his crazy idea in these crazy times took shape in the form of Crazy Hatter wines.
Borrado de Moscas
Freshness from the Dão
Borrado de Moscas is the name given to the Portuguese white wine variety Bical in the Dão region. It is mainly cultivated in the Bairrada and Dão regions. Its name translates as "flyspeck" and refers to the many small dots on the skin of the berries. The wine of this grape variety has a fresh acidity and is mostly used for cuvees, but is also used as a single variety. It is also suitable for sparkling wine production. It produces fresh and ageable white wines with a clear aroma reminiscent of yellow, tropical fruits and peaches. With age, it develops aromas reminiscent of Riesling.
Rabo de ovelha
Aromatic and powerful Portuguese
The name (port.: sheep's tail) of the white, Portuguese grape variety is derived from the shape of the grapes. The vigorous white wine variety is mainly cultivated in the regions of Douro, Dão, Alentejo and Ribatejo. The aromatic and high-alcohol variety is best suited for cuvées and is often found in traditional coplanted vinyards.
Encruzado
Smooth even in the poorest soil
Some of the best and most expensive wines come from the Dão area, a picturesque spot in Portugal threaded with rivers. Dão is one of the oldest wine cultivation regions in Portugal, and provides ideal climatic conditions for the Encruzado grape. Summers are long and hot, the nights are cool, and winters tough: ideal prerequisites for elegant wines. The area is enclosed and protected on three sides by granite mountains, and the vast majority of vines grow among granitic rock. The white Encruzado, however, thrives in the East of the region in slate soils. Each soil shapes the wine in its own way, but all wines from grapes grown in slate soils have one thing in common: a wonderfully crisp minerality. This provides structure and slightly salty components on the palate.
The barren soils allow only low yields per hectare, from 15 to 30 hectoliters, which further enables the wines to become very rich in body, supple, and accented by fruit. Encruzado is the most-planted white wine variety in Dão, planted on around 200 hectares.
Dão
Dão: noble crus from the highlands
The wine world eyes Dão, the Portuguese wine region in the northern foothills of the Estrela Mountains (Serra da Estrela), with greater interest with each passing year. A cool climate, sparse granite soils and first-class native varieties result in wines which brilliantly master the balancing act between fruitfulness and wholesome structure. The majority of the wines here are assemblages. The red Touriga Nacional and white Encruzado varieties in particular are guarantors for first-class wines.
Portugal
Portugal – Much more than port
Situated on the southwestern tip of Europe, this country is, despite its small size, blessed with a multitude of landscapes. Austere mountains alternate with green valleys and golden beaches. Vines have thrived against this backdrop for over 4,000 years, brought to the peninsula by Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans.
Portugal has over 500 autochthonous varieties. The term derives from ancient Greek, and means roughly “of the land itself.”
