TN: Fonte do Beco 2007 (Vinho Regional Terras do Sado)

[Otto Nieminen]

DFJ Vinhos Fonte do Beco 2007 - Vinho Regional Terras do Sado; 12,5% abv; 100% Castelão; 8,90€
I have fond memories of José Maria da Fonseca's Periquita which is also from the same region and is perhaps the most famous table wine from Setúbal - so famous that the wine's name (Periquita) is now a synonym for the grape Castelão! Periquita however hasn't been available here for some years. But as I wanted a fix of that delightful, cheap, berried and rustic red, I decided to open another cheap VR Terras do Sado Castellão, Fonte do Beco.

My first impression is that it is a more "international", slightly oaky, less rustic example of the same base-material as the Periquita of my memories. But with air, the toffee aromas of the oak pretty much disappear and the slightly rustic loveliness I remember appears. It smells of raspberries and earth. Medium bodied with lively acidity and a fair bit of refreshing tannins that provide some lovely astringency to the sweet fruit, but still it seems a bit more polished and a bit less rustic than my mnemonic. Still, I got my fix. Fun little wine.