Description
From an estate operating in the Cima Corgo since the nineteenth century, the 2023 Quinta do Infantado Douro Rojo Palhete Júnior comes from a producer recognized for early adoption of estate bottling in a region long oriented toward shipping houses. Fruit is sourced from mixed field-blend parcels on schist terraces at varied elevations, where exposures shift sharply along the hillside and shape ripening across traditional Douro varieties. Vineyard work emphasizes hand labor, limited inputs, and precise yield control suited to the valley’s steep, dry terrain. In keeping with the historical palhete category, Palhete Júnior is built around a lighter extraction approach, with fermentation in stainless steel or lagars and a brief maturation period that maintains clarity of structure. The cuvée plays an exploratory role within the Infantado portfolio, drawing on traditional field-blend viticulture while reflecting a technical interest in lower-extraction, site-transparent wines alongside the estate’s more classical Douro releases.