Art.Terra, Alentejano (Portugal) 2017

 Fruit-driven dry reds from Portugal are now all the rage, or they should be.  These wines, made from obscure grape varieties (Aragonez, Trincadeira and Moreto) that have little traction in the New World, are well made, beautifully structured and priced attractively because they’ve yet to be discovered by mainstream wine enthusiasts.  The 2017 Amphora shows ripe dark fruits, a strong note of minerality, fine tannins and exquisite balance.  What’s unusual is the three grape varieties were co-fermented in clay amphoras using native yeasts (as opposed to commercial yeasts) then aged in clay amphoras before bottling.