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Winery: Alves De Sousa

Country / Region: Portugal / Duoro

Date Winery was established: 1990s

Alcohol / Volume: 14.5% / 750ml

Grape Variety: Tinta Amarela, Touriga France, Touriga Nacional, Sousao and 20 other indigenous grapes

First Vintage Released: 2004

Good to Know: Domingos Alves de Sousa and his father Edmundo and grandfather had been winemakers in Duoro as a family tradition. Domingos, having graduated Civil Engineer, had first abandoned the tradition in 1987 as he carried out a model work of land consolidation and restructuring of the vineyard. The wine growing activity has evolved and become more interesting. A turning point in 1988, affected by recession, where wine growers were struggling. It required technical and professional training. Domingos then attended courses so he may learn the ways of viticulture and oenology which helped him restructure the vineyards to become his very own producer-bottler. He built a winery in Quita Gaivosa where he vinified the production from remaining farms.

As the varieties have been experimented and studied, Domingos Alves de Sousa learned the best wines to produce from Douro and launched his wines in market mid-1992. The first wine: Quinta do Vale da Raposa white 1991 immediately captivated connoisseurs. This was the start of his journey that has led to today.

The 2021 Abandonado Tinto holds exceptional prestige as one of the Douro Valley’s most dramatic single-vineyard field blends. Sourced from Quinta da Gaivosa's legendary 80+-year-old "Vinha do Abandonado"—a high-altitude, schist-laden plot so extreme that replanting attempts were abandoned, leaving only ancient, deeply rooted vines to survive—this site inherently yields low quantities of concentrated fruit. The 2021 vintage provided balanced temperatures and cool nights, yielding a harvest with vivid natural acidity, exquisite freshness, and structural finesse. Co-fermenting traditional varieties including Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Amarela, and Sousão, and aged for 18 months in new French oak followed by a year in bottle, the 2021 release exemplifies the site's wild elegance and promises exceptional cellaring potential for two decades or more.

In the glass, the 2021 Abandonado displays a deep ruby color and opens with a complex, distinctive bouquet dominated by black plum, blackberry, licorice, and black tea, signature nuances of forest floor, balsam, tar, and graphite, and subtle, toasted oak spice. The palate is broad, full-bodied, and deeply layered, balanced by driving acidity and firm, chalky tannins that give the wine tensor strength and vitality before lingering into a long, mineral-driven finish. To match its savory intensity and wild terrestrial character, pair this wine with roasted wild boar or venison, slow-braised beef short ribs, cured Iberian ham (jamón ibérico de bellota), roasted rack of lamb, or aged cured goat cheese.