The Vibrant Sercial Grape
Sercial, an indigenous Portuguese grape, is simply the most vibrant grape variety on Madeira, the grape is known on the Portuguese mainland as Esgana Cão (literally 'dog strangler’), due to its marked astringency and high acidity.
Vineyard Origins and Characteristics
Frasqueira Sercial was produced from 100% Sercial at the end of the last century from vineyards located on the south coast (Jardim da Serra) in vineyards located between 700–900m above sea level and the north coast of Madeira Island (Seixal, Ribeira da Janela and Porto Moniz).
Traditional Viticulture
Vineyards are traditionally trained on trellises formed by horizontal wire structures laid over trellis posts with the height varying between 1–1.5m. The way these vineyards are managed is testament to the heroic viticulture effort carried out on the island over centuries.>
Winemaking Process
Grape maturation is very late, manual harvest was mid-October 1999 and the Madeira was made in strict accordance with traditional methods. After crushing and pressing (continuous press) the must obtained was fermented in small stainless steel tanks. Alcoholic fermentation was with indigenous yeasts and was stopped by adding neutral grape spirit (96%vol. min.) after 7–9 days in order to maintain the desired level of sweetness. Concentration by evaporation (about 3% a year is lost to the angels) allows the wine to reach the limit of sugars allowed in a Madeira Sercial.
Aging and Bottling
Bottled on 23 March 2023 after 22 years old of oxidative ageing in very old American oak barrels of 650l (with more than 80 years of use) in the traditional Canteiro system. Aged in the hottest warehouse in Justino's Madeira (named Armazém III) where temperature variations are significant between night and day.
Tasting Notes
A beautiful example of what a Madeira wine made with Sercial grapes should be; the marked acidity covers the sugar concentration, making it seem dry in the style, as it should be. This bottling is a special edition of 500 bottles.
