Ilustres Desconhecidos Gouveio Branco 2020

Unexpected wines born from our natural curiosity. Sourced from special parcels and little-known vineyards.

The Wine: Ilustres Desconhecidos is a collection of singular and expressive wines brought to life by the creativity and skill of our winemakers. This wine comes from the vineyard of Tapadinha, in the Rio Torto Valley (in the Cima Corgo subregion of the Douro). This parcel has over a dozen white grape varieties planted at 580 m, where we have been assessing their performance and investigating the best blends. This experimental vineyard is the ideal launchpad for our new collection of wines that tell hitherto unknown stories about our terroir.

Grape Varieties: 100% Viosinho. Produced from grapes grown at the vineyard of Tapadinha (Rio Torto Valley).

Tasting Notes: Bright, focused aromas of melon and pear with a discreet suggestion of papaya and subtle notes of pine resin in the background. Vivid palate with a creamy texture counterbalanced by zesty acidity which underscores the wine’s freshness and provides exquisite finesse on the finish.

Vinification: Smooth de-stemming followed by crushing and static clarification of the must. After these steps, the wine ferments in a 400 L Flextank, a reservoir made of porous material that allows fermentation and the subsequent ageing, with oxygen exchanges but no interference in aromas. This choice reflects the approach of revealing what each of these grape varieties can offer in terms of organoleptic features, without any exogenous interference. Sulphurous additions and contact with oxygen were minimized, resulting in a tendentially reductive winemaking. The result is the purest sensory profile that we can obtain.

Ageing and Bottling: The wine aged sur lies in the Flextank for a few months following fermentation. Bottling occurred during the summer of 2021 (the year after the harvest). The wine was then aged in bottle until it was released in late 2022.

Storage and Serving: Ready for immediate enjoyment. Serve between 2022 and 2024, ideally between 10-12 °C and with rich fish dishes, sushi or similar.

Winemakers: Charles Symington and Pedro Correia, assisted by the Symington DOC Douro winemaking team.