Antonio Madeira A Liberdade 2020
96 POINTS: Wine Direct Tasting Team
94 POINTS: Wine Front
“I opened this on Saturday not 100% sure what to expect. What I found is one of the most exciting wines I have drank in a very long time. Crafted from a field blend of old-vine Dão varieties grown on granite soils, A Liberdade reflects António Madeira’s natural, low-intervention approach. Lively fresh fruit, herbs and subtle spice flow through a fine, mineral-driven palate with remarkable energy, detail and depth. A strikingly refined white that has all the tension and mineral precision of a top-tier Grand Cru Chablis. The nose is taut and complex, opening with citrus peel, lemon zest and ripe green apple, layered over crushed stone, and a delicate hint of white flowers. The palate is detailed, chiselled and linear, driven by vibrant fresh acidity and a strong mineral core. Flavours of citrus and saline citrus glide across the palate. There’s both intensity and restraint here. Amazing wine. I loved it so much I have brought myself a 6 pack!"
- Al Pope - Wine Direct
“Feels complex and pure, clean and saline, savoury and delicious. Unreal white wine. Scents of sea spray and warm, salted cashews, whiffs of green apple too. Doubles down in the palate with more of the same, glides effortlessly and feels succulent and tingly with minerally things going on. Superb wine."
- 94 Points Wine Front
Two very old 500m granite vineyards- one pink granite! - This wine was vinified without added sulphites, which means that the wild yeasts were free (in Portuguese "Liberdade" means freedom) The vineyards are between 50 and 70 years old.
António Madeira is French by origin but his family roots are in the foothills of the Serra da Estrela, a sub-region of the Dão. It is in these highlands that we find the historic heart of the Dão, the region with the greatest potential for aging wines, where the wines are the finest, freshest and most mineral.
Since 2010, António Madeira has been searching in this sub-region for the sites that the ancestors chose as the best for vines, those that could be called "Grand Crus do Dão serrano".
If you’re a fan of Jura whites or the salty, savory side of Burgundy, then we have that in common. Trust us when we say that another place to hone in on is Portugal. Specifically, whites from boutique producers who farm local grapes in the best sites of Bairrada and the Dão. The latter is where you’ll find Parisian-born winemaker Antonio Madeira. His ‘A Liberdade’ is on the right side of natural, meaning a hand-crafted white that’s deep and lively yet crisp and focused.
Abv 13.5