"Aromas of white fruits, with apricots and pineapple coming to the fore and traces of tropical fruit. Very fresh on the palate, revealing fine acidity that highlights some minerality. Good volume on the palate with a sumptuous quality in perfect balance with the vitality provided by the precise acidity. 50% Arinto, 50% Verdelho"
The 207-hectare Quinta da Fonte Souto was acquired by the Symington family in 2017 and is their first vineyard outside the Douro. Lying on the slopes of the São Mamede Range at an altitude of 500 metres in the Alentejo sub-region of Portalegre, the property benefits from cooler and wetter conditions than the hot Alentejo plain. The Fonte Souto wines express the freshness and elegance provided by the altitude, as well as the structure and complexity from the estate’s extensive collection of mature, low-yielding vines.
The Florão Red and White represent the most approachable wine style from the Fonte Souto estate, made with all the attention to detail and care of the other estate wines, but with a more youthful profile intended for drinking young. Their freshness, balance and structure clearly identify them as wines born of the unique Fonte Souto terroir.
The hand-picked grapes are placed in small, shallow boxes and taken to the on-site winery. Manual sorting is followed by destemming and gentle crushing after which the grapes are transferred to a pneumatic press for a light pressing. Fermentation take place in stainless steel vats at low temperatures in order to conserve the wine’s aromatic expression. Sulphur dioxide addition prevents the start of malolactic fermentation, thus ensuring the wine’s crisp, fresh character. Four months in stainless steel vats with minimal contact with oxygen in order to preserve the wine’s aromatic freshness.
