Quinta do Javali Crazy Javali Tinto

About Quinta do Javali Crazy Javali Tinto

Quinta do Javali Crazy Javali Tinto is a natty Portuguese field blend of Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, and Touriga Franca. Bright and tart red fruits dominate, especially strawberry, raspberry, and cranberry. Made from hand-harvested grapes that are carefully placed in 20kg boxes. The grapes undergo spontaneous fermentation in both concrete and inox tanks, with some whole-bunch fermentation used. After blending, the wine is aged for a full year in concrete vats. From the western plot of the “Clos Fonte do Santo”, this being the biggest one. The vines here are approximately 20 years old and the vineyard is located in the village of Ervedosa do Douro. As with all of Javali’s vineyards, it is farmed using biodynamic practices. In keeping with traditional methods in the Douro valley, this vineyard features a field blend of only native Portuguese indigenous grape varieties. The steep hillside location of the vineyard, with its schist soil composition, ranges in altitude from 550 to 700 meters and faces northeast.

About Quinta do Javali

Quinta do Javali is a unicorn-level unique destination pioneering an entirely different view of how to represent terroir in the Douro Valley. At its peak, 700-plus meters above the Douro River, on a rock pile overlooking the steeply sloped Clos Fonte do Santo vineyard stands António Mendes Sr. He’s worked this family-owned farm of 25 hectares since 1982 and his land has been under vines since the 1650s. Against this pristine backdrop, António has created one of the most forward-thinking wine projects happening in Portugal today. As he speaks about his vision for his land, his wines, and his family, he can’t help but contain a natural, bubbling enthusiasm that wells from deep within and can be heard several vineyards over. He is a larger-than-life, passionate man of strong conviction.

The vineyards are guided by slabs of slate, plowed by horse, and tilled by wild pigs (Javali in Portuguese). Work in the vineyards is guided by the celestial cadence of Steiner’s calendar and monitored by meteorological stations installed throughout the property. Viticulture is organic and biodynamic and in the certification process… a unique practice in the Douro Valley.

Quinta do Javali’s history is rooted in port production, as the smallest registered port Producer in the Douro Valley, like all things they do it by hand and with an intense focus on quality. They have made a range of traditional, broader-shouldered wines for decades, but more recently began moving their focus to lighter, lifted, aromatic, and elegant wines António Sr. and his son, António Jr. enjoy drinking. This profile fits his terroir like a glove.

António and his family have made significant investments in a new winery allowing for plots to be vinified separately and showcased in various formats. Decisions are rooted in the conviction of showing terroir, expressing the land as purely as possible, and driving the Douro’s reputation for authentic table wines forward.