Momento Tinta Barocca 2021
£26.75
The wine
Sour cherry and liquorice lead, with black forest cake and dark cherry behind. Restrained and savoury, with wild red fruit, forest floor and chalky tannins, lifted by mint, sage and dried herbs.
Tinta Barocca is a Portuguese grape better known in port and rarely bottled on its own. Marelise Niemann sources it from three vineyards: dry-farmed Swartland bush vines at least 40 years old on decomposed granite, plus cooler shale and clay sites in Bot River and Stellenbosch. It is fermented with 15% whole bunches and aged for 16 months in seasoned French oak without fining. 2021 was a cool, even season well suited to cellaring.
The producer
Momento
View all Momento winesMomento Wines is the acclaimed project of South African winemaker Marelise Niemann, crafting characterful, elegant wines from across the Western Cape. Since its founding it has become one of the Cape's most admired boutique names.
Working with old vines and cooler sites, and a particular love of Grenache and Chenin Blanc, Niemann farms thoughtfully and vinifies with a natural, gentle hand. The result is wines of freshness, texture and quiet individuality.
The range includes a distinctive Chenin Blanc and Verdelho blend, a rare and lovely Grenache Gris, a pure Grenache Blanc and a fragrant, light-framed Paardeberg Grenache Noir. Each is understated and beautifully judged.
Fresh, textural and full of personality, Momento's wines reward the curious. They are among the most charming expressions of the new-wave Cape.
