2022 Quinta do Olival da Murta Serra Oca Branco

Quinta do Olival da Murta has been in the same family for over four generations. It is located approximately 80km from Lisbon, in the Serra Montejunto mountain range, near the medieval village of Óbidos. The mountains act as a natural barrier to the prevailing Atlantic winds, providing year-round beneficial rain and morning fog, which brings freshness to the wines. The quinta is operated by the Vivas family. Great-grandfather of the current generation, Manuel Vivas, bought the estate in the 1940s and increased his property and buildings over time while modernizing the wine cellar and the production cellar. Nowadays the farm belongs to four siblings (3 sisters and 1 brother), their mother and aunts. At this moment, there are 5 cousins (Joana, Mafalda, Madalena, Francisco and Jose) working at the quinta and they all do a little bit of everything: viticulture, winemaking and sales. The farm is also known throughout the area for its herb cultivation programs, reforestation efforts, and holistic systems approach to agriculture. Serra Oca Branco is a very small batch blend of arinto, fernão pires, and moscatel. Upon harvest, all the fruit is destemmed, tread in lagar (traditional stone trough), and fermented spontaneously, keeping each of the varieties separate. The arinto and fernão pires see a short time on the skins, while the moscatel sees extended contact, bringing the over style of this wine closer to what we'd call orange wine. Some the wine is finished in French oak barrels, some in stainless, and barely any sulfur is used throughout the process. With its golden yellow color, with mineral aromas, floral and vegetal nuances, and notes of dried citrus and stone fruit, this intensely characterful wine wants to party at a surf and turf feast and shows no fear of intense flavor and spice. Bonus fun fact: Joana's favorite band is the Pixies.