Quinta da Pellada Primus Branco 2024

Quinta da Pellada Primus Branco 2024 is a top white from the Dão, made by renowned winemaker Álvaro Castro. This vintage keeps its outstanding profile, having already received 96 points from critic Luis Gutiérrez in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.

The Wine Advocate
RP 96

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The 2024 Primus is restrained, still undeveloped and young, very serious, with some austerity, and built for long ageing. I used similar words last year when I tasted the 2022 vintage.
It's made mainly from Encruzado and Bical, but also includes other co-planted native grapes from the region, such as Cerceal, Terrantez, Malvasia Fina, Verdelho and Barcelo — 19 different varieties in all.
The harvest is done in two passes: the first in early September, to pick the Bical, and 10 days later Encruzado, Malvasia Fina, Terrantez, Cerceal, Douradinha, Fernão Pires, Verdelho and others were picked.
All the must from both pickings fermented together after a night of skin contact with the destemmed, crushed grapes. After natural settling, the must was racked with some turbidity and began fermenting in concrete eggs with natural yeasts. Fermentation lasted about a month, and the wine then aged for 10 months in used French oak barrels. Fermentation continued for months and the wine later matured on its lees (sur lie) before bottling, with no fining or filtration.
The wine has a stony, mineral, chalky profile, very serious, with a long, dry finish. A white of great structure, made for long ageing.
It was bottled in August 2024.

Quinta da Pellada Primus Branco 2024 received 94 points from James Suckling, reflecting its high quality and distinctive character.

On the nose it's delicately perfumed while keeping a certain restraint, with stone-fruit aromas such as peach and apricot to the fore. On the palate it impresses with its depth and complexity, the result of a field blend from very old vines in which more than 19 grapes were co-fermented.

Although already approachable, it shows potential to develop in bottle, promising even more complexity with time. Altogether, a precise, balanced white that combines the concentration of old vines with the freshness and elegance typical of Quinta da Pellada in the Dão.