Portugal will always occupy a special place in my heart. Some of you might know that my first wine job was in the Douro Valley, one of the most breathtaking winegrowing regions on Earth. But let me clear: It’s not sentiment that motivated today’s offer. Portugal in general, and the Douro in particular, is one of the most exciting wine destinations in the world right now. We’re seeing a tremendous amount of outstanding Portuguese wine come our way at prices that reflect the country’s yet-to-be-rediscovered status in our market. The Douro Valley, long famous for its Port wine production, has successfully pivoted to producing extraordinary dry reds from its wealth of native grapes—sumptuous reds like “Excomungado” from Quinta de Vale de Pios.

This transformative bottle whisked me right back to the inimitable Douro landscape, where schist soils birth reds of amazing density and profound mineral character. There aren’t many bottles at this bargain price point that evoke this kind of emotion, not just for an alumnus of the Douro like myself but for anyone thirsting for a good story. One-man team Joaquim Almeida has carved Excomungado from an inhospitable terroir and carefully blended together five different heritage varieties for an unforgettable taste of Portugal. Rigorously natural winegrowing and careful winemaking let the intensity of this region shine undiluted—this is the lifeblood of the Douro, not manicured or polished but profoundly representative of the ancestral culture that makes this region so special. At five years of age, the 2015 vintage is perfectly poised to transport you to a land unlike any other, just as it did me. 

Joaquim Almeida is a true renaissance man and the driving force behind Quinta de Vale de Pios, located right on the Spanish border. His tiny cellar sits just outside the village of Barca d’Alva, right where the Duero flows into Portugal from Spain and becomes the Douro. It took Joaquim months of studying military maps, geographical surveys, and hiking through the dusty countryside to identify the farm named Vale de Pios. Centuries ago, Cistercian monks planted olive trees, orchards, and grapevines, many of which still remained when Joaquim purchased the property and set about rehabilitating its agricultural potential. Pios is located smack in the middle of the Douro International Natural Park, a bounty of rocky cliffs and tenacious, scrubby forests. 

It’s a relatively inhospitable environment for viticulture, which should naturally pique the curiosity of those familiar with the direct proportionality of stress to deliciousness in grapes. The soil is a mosaic of broken quartz, granite, shale, and black schist. Temperatures top 105 degrees in the summer, then drop to the low 50s within a 12-hour window. The vines, most approximately 20 years of age or older, produce fruit of incredible freshness and acidity thanks to those wild diurnal shifts. Joaquim has replanted the steep slopes for better erosion control, seeding robust cover crops, eschewing tilling, and limiting irrigation to young vines. Native flora and fauna abound, and the magical little farm has responded extraordinarily well to his ministrations, generating a plethora of extraordinarily high-quality grapes.

Excomungado is a thoughtful combination of traditional varieties. Joaquim notes that while some grapes were planted for their obvious nobility, the Cistercians delighted in ‘juicier’ varieties intended for flexibility during blending and aging. Where Touriga Nacional (40%) contributes glossy blue fruits, Touriga Franca (25%) brings ample tannins and concentration. Tinta Roriz (a.k.a. Tempranillo) provides more supple red fruits, earth, and acidity, while the small but mighty Tinta Cão (10%) offers a heady dose of exuberant juiciness. All grapes are hand-picked on different schedules according to optimal ripeness. They are vinified separately with extended fermentations and blended before sleeping in stainless steel vessels in a traditional warehouse fortified with thick stone walls to regulate temperature. The final composition is truly bewitching; I found myself spilling stories about my time in Portugal without thinking about it. That’s the magic of a well-made Portuguese wine—they’re designed for long meals, rowdy conversations, and stirring up true emotion. Excomungado casts that spell from the very first sip.  

Right from the bottle, rich blue fruits form a tantalizing miasma. Excomungado smells like cold blueberry jam spiced with lavender oil and sugared violets. The palate is firmer and slightly drier than the expressive nose suggests; a cool earthiness and fine tannins keep the body tense, restrained, and alive. Flavors include dried fruit leather, star anise, bergamot, and perfect minerality. The different varieties meld with balance and precision, not one note is out of line and the medium-long finish begs a bite of duck with prunes—rich, slightly sweet, and well spiced to match the intensity of the wine. At five years of age, this 2015 is becoming ever-so-slightly looser knit, and promises to soften delicately for another five years, no problem. It’s the kind of wine that expresses history and culture as much as perfect flavor, so prepare to reminisce and daydream with every sip. If you haven’t been to Portugal, the Pios will take you there!