Roquette & Cazes Xisto 2019

Drink it now or cellar for up to 20 years. It is recommended to decant it for an hour. Roquette & Cazes wines are the result of a Franco-Portuguese alliance between Jorge Roquette, owner of Quinta do Crasto, and Jean-Michel Cazes, owner of Château Lynch-Bages. The collaboration, which began in 2002, is now in the hands of the second generation of the two families, but maintains its focused approach to producing wines with a strong Douro Valley identity while integrating French winemaking traditions. Xisto is a blend of the native Portuguese grape varieties Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Roriz, sourced from vineyards located on steep slopes in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior winemaking districts. After manual harvesting and temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel, the finished wine ages in new French oak barrels for approximately 20 months before bottling. The result is an elegant and concentrated wine with a deep ruby ​​color. On the nose, it reveals a broad and intense aromatic profile with notes of berries and spices, followed by toasted hints. On the palate, it is full-bodied and round, smooth and well-structured. It has silky tannins and an excellent fruit concentration. The finish is long and persistent with light spicy notes. Try it with lamb stew, wild boar goulash, or beef brisket.