2019 Howard's Folly Cristina
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This wine takes its name from Howard Folly’s vineyard manager – Cristina Francisquinho – who discovered and tends to the special old parcels that are used for the wine. The field blend comes from 100- to 150-year-old vines on the granite-rich foothills of São Mamede in Portalegre (one of the eight subregions of the Alentejo DOC). The 2019 vintage is deep ruby in colour, with gentle aromas of blackcurrant, black plum, cedar and clove. On the palate, it presents vibrant redcurrant and cranberry notes that evolve into ripe blackberry. The smooth tannins and fresh acidity provide ample structure, while the purity of the old-vine fruit and its elegant body make the wine effortlessly sleek. The finish is long, perfumed with violets and further red fruit, offering a refreshing, almost hydrating, sensation, like biting into a pomegranate seed. This is developing wonderfully and will be a pleasure to drink over the next five years and more.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Full, wax-sealed bottle 1,150 g. Field blend of 100-year-old vines grown in Portalegre in north-eastern Alentejo on the granite foothills of the São Mamede mountains at 665 m. Hand-picked, destemmed, fermentation in small 4-ton stainless-steel tanks with regular pumpovers and rack and return, temperatures 23–25 °C. 12 months’ ageing in a mix of new French and American oak barrels. TA 6.3 g/l, pH 3.56. Deep garnet. Aroma of red and black cherry, both fresh and dried and still with some notable oak sweetness and sweet spice. Leathery tannins and sweet dried fruit are deliciously combined to make this wine at a perfect moment for drinking, even if it could well age longer in the bottle. For me the oak is a little bit obvious but it has freshness and firm but smooth texture and a gently chewy finish to make it eminently drinkable. Mouth-filling but fresh and ageing harmoniously so that the fruit is keeping pace with the wine’s overall evolution. Still seems to have plenty of life in it. (JH)
Full bottle just 1,145 g. Field blend of 100-year-old vines on slate and granite at 665 m. Spontaneous fermentation and aged for 12 months in new French and American oak barrels. Deep crimson. Very perfumed, rich and complex indeed. It reminds me of La Joupatière from Colline de l'Hirondelle way to the north in Corbières but it, too, is a field blend of very old vines. Dry finish with a little tannic bite and good freshness but not too obvious oak. Nose is wonderfully, historically inspiring. Palate has some intriguing rocky sensation on the end. More wines like this, please! (JR)
The red 2019 Cristina was produced with a field blend from old vines with the local varieties in Portalegre, fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in new 225- and 500-liter French and American oak barrels. Fortunately, it's not as oaky as it might sound, but there's a remanent of oak that will always be there, in the flavors, aromas and texture. 3,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2021.
About the producer
A joint project from British entrepreneur Howard Bilton and Australian winemaker David Baverstock, Howard’s Folly is a boutique wine producer in the Alentejo. Working with old vines and indigenous grapes largely in the cooler Portalegre, they craft fresh and modern expressions of the region.