Antonio Madeira A Liberdade Tinto Dao 2022

Serra da Estrela, Dao, Portugal

Wine Advocate 93 points! James Suckling 93 points!

Antonio Madeira A Liberdade Tinto is a beautiful red natural wine from the Dao region of Portugal. Today, the Dao region is in a period of refocus and reinvigoration, and one of the most influential characters of this rebirth is Antonio Madeira, considered the leader of the natural wine movement in the Dao. All of his wines could qualify for being truly Natural in terms of how they are made (viticulture/winemaking), but Antonio also makes a Branco and Tinto called A Liberdade which have zero added sulfites and come from a selection of his biodynamically farmed parcels. It is a nod to those uber-purists who want true “zero-zero” wines.

The grapes come from vineyards farmed biodynamically by Antonio and his team. The majority comes from 80% Touriga Nacional. The remaining 20% is from very old vines and the typical field blend of many varieties. A Liberdade refers to the fact that this wine is completely free from added sulphur. 2022 is the first release.

“The red blend 2022 A Liberdade was produced with 80% Touriga Nacional and 20% the field blend from a 50-year-old plot on sandy granite soils. The Touriga was planted 20 years ago, and Madeira said it took four years to domesticate the variety to achieve fine tannins. It fermented in lagar and matured in stainless steel for nine months. It has 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.61 and 5.67 grams of acidity. It has a little more ripeness, which was a constant in the 2022s. It has notes of berries and herbs and is quite marked by the Touriga Nacional, with an earthy touch, some meat and blood. It has a medium-bodied palate with very fine tannins. 2,000 bottles produced. Drink 2024-2029.”-Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate, 93 points!

Enjoy Antonio Madeira A Liberdade Tinto with traditional Portuguese cuisine, venison and “arroz de pato” duck rice.