Very elegant, fresh, and smooth with pure red cherry fruit. Has a light crunch and some tannins, but is very well balanced. Smooth, fine, and juicy with beautiful complexity. This is truly a special wine.
Gonçalves Faria is a benchmark for traditional, long-lasting wines from Bairrada. Originally led by António Maia Ferreira Faria, the estate acquired a strong reputation for producing structured, ageable wines from prominent vineyards. Today, the wines are made under the direction of Dirk Niepoort, while the Faria family continues to manage the vineyards. The transition preserves the continuity of style and identity, while retaining the original Gonçalves Faria label. The first vintage under Niepoort's leadership was 2013.
These wines embody the classic profile of Bairrada, particularly the white wines, which are known for their long aging potential, precision, and mineral character.
Very elegant, fresh, and smooth with pure red cherry fruit. Has a light crunch and some tannins, but is very well balanced. Smooth, fine, and juicy with beautiful complexity. This is truly a special wine.
Gonçalves Faria is a benchmark for traditional, long-lasting wines from Bairrada. Originally led by António Maia Ferreira Faria, the estate acquired a strong reputation for producing structured, ageable wines from prominent vineyards. Today, the wines are made under the direction of Dirk Niepoort, while the Faria family continues to manage the vineyards. The transition preserves the continuity of style and identity, while retaining the original Gonçalves Faria label. The first vintage under Niepoort's leadership was 2013.
These wines embody the classic profile of Bairrada, particularly the white wines, which are known for their long aging potential, precision, and mineral character.
Food pairing
Dishes with some fat (cod, octopus, black pork) pair very well with this exclusive wine, and seafood rice is also a winner.
Druiven : 100% Baga
Quinta de Baixo, with nearly twenty years of history, is located in Cordinhã, in the Cantanhede region.
The clay-limestone soil forms an exceptional terroir, particularly suited for local grape varieties. The estate covers 22 hectares of vineyards, divided into three plots with vines ranging in age from 10 to 80 years. These vineyards are situated in the famous triangle of Cordinhã, Ourentã, and Cantanhede – an area generally known for its excellent suitability for viticulture in Bairrada. The winery's location on a hill allows for a vinification process in which the grapes are processed by gravity, preserving their integrity. This region is characterized by rolling, sunny slopes and south-facing clay-limestone soils – ideal conditions for the Baga grape, which forms the basis of Quinta de Baixo's wines.
Vinification
Gonçalo Faria's red wine comes from various plots with old vines. There are 20 hectares of vineyards in Baixo, and he also buys grapes from growers (the grapes from his own estate cover about 30% of his needs). Here, further inland, the soil is rich in clay. Vinification took place in an open lagar (wine press), where fermentation lasted 4 weeks. Fermentation was then completed in tanks. Malolactic fermentation took place in a used 2,500-liter tank, in which the wine aged for 20 months. The wine was bottled unfiltered.
Store & Serve
Serve at 16 °C
Alcoholcontent
11,1 %vol
Critics & Awards
95/100 - Robert Parker The Wine Advocate Tasted: Dec 2024. When to drink: 2024 to 2034
With a beautiful violet colour of light concentration, the aroma is very fine, deep and complex. Wild berries notes in harmony with an intense mineral profile, where the chalk notes stand out in the glass. Although very young, its harmony is impressive, with silky tannins involved in fresh fruit notes. Huge structure and power, the whole set is delicate, elegant and very fine, thanks to the freshness of fruit and excellent acidity. Refreshing finish, almost salty and very focused on the limestone terroir. A perfect wine to drink while young and feel all its harmony, but that will age with greatness.
