This is the rarest wine and only red from the Azores Wine Company. The grape is their local Isabella, and the production is only 166 cases. The vines, as in the Canary Islands, are planted in pits dug into the hard volcanic soil, to protect from the strong ocean winds.
Vines of course love poor soils, and the soil is so rocky and poor here that some from the neighboring islands must be bought in just to keep these vines going.
The importer says:
Simultaneously delicate and powerful, Isabella produces an incredibly versatile wine with food-friendly acidity, a profound mineral signature, and terrific concentration. The nose shows explosive aromas of sour cherry, cranberry, beef blood and sea spray. Funky and wild on the palate, Isabella a Proibida finishes with umami-laden flavors of meat, seaweed and wet stones. Isabella’s high-toned acidity makes it a wonderful red for seafood, and its concentration gives it great versatility. Mushrooms, game and rich seafood dishes are all terrific pairings.
A very unusual, but ultimately very rewarding red. I often describe wines as “savory,” bit I don’t know if I’ve ever had a wine as savory as this. Nor as intensely flavored at this level of alcohol and on such a lithe, lean frame.
Though frankly, it’s not quite accurate to describe this wine as “lean.” There are certainly elements to it that seem lean, but also elements that seem very rich.
I guess the closest comparison would be to one of Kermit Lynch’s low or no sulfur, top producers of Cru Beaujolais (like Lapierre or Foillard).
