The “For the Cellar” choice of the Wine Magazine is a pure expression of Alentejo: the red wine Dona Maria Grand Reserve 2018, by Júlio Bastos.
As stated in Wine Magazine issue no. 412, March 2024, “Júlio Tassara Bastos is one of the great names in Portuguese wine, a true wine ‘globetrotter’, but with deep roots in Alentejo. Wine has been produced at Quinta do Carmo for over 150 years, but it was only with the arrival of the new millennium that Júlio Bastos began the project of Dona Maria Wines.
In this estate in Estremoz resides much of the noble Alentejo, with abundant marbles, lush gardens, and wines of high caliber. Júlio has a precise direction of where he wants to go and what wines he likes to make. Wines with personality and character, that impose themselves through their excellence, that show the identity of the place and the original soils, and his own convictions.
This wine, produced from the best grapes of old vines, is fermented in marble tanks, using traditional “grape treading”, and aged in new French oak barrels for one year.”
The “For the Cellar” Wine, Dona Maria Grand Reserve 2018, has the “Highly Recommended” seal from Wine Magazine, with 94 points out of 100.
Tasting note by Luís Costa (tasting panel, Wine Magazine): deep ruby. Elegant notes of wood aging envelop aromas of black fruit, dark chocolate shavings, a plethora of spices, and a fresh hint of bergamot. On the palate, it is majestic, with amplitude and depth, master of great balance, supported by high-level acidity and finely cut tannin.
From Vinha, For the Cellar. Find it here.
