Casa de Darei 'José' 2007 (750 ml)

The 2004 José takes its name from José Ruivo, as this tradition of farming was passed on from his family and he was able to realize his dream with opening their estate’s winery. The 2004 vintage was an incredible year for their vines, and this special bottling was not released until 2014, with only 1200 bottles to sell, in order to commemorate their 15-year anniversary at the winery. A blend of their four native red varieties, this combination of Touriga Nacional, Jaen, Alfrocheiro, and Tinta Roriz, was hand-harvested and brought into the cellar for a natural fermentation in old lagars, crushed by foot, and went through a basket press before it’s further aging. Half of the juice went into French barrique for about 9 months before it joined its counterpart in a large concrete vat where it all stayed for about two years. After bottling, it had a long rest to mature and develop into the insanely delicious wine that it is today. The José is elegant and balanced with wonderful aged quality in the fruit, the spice, and the wood character, begging for oxygen to really come back to life with so much remarkable complexity.