Barbeito, Sercial Curtimenta 2014

Tasting Notes

AI Mode conversation: Barbeito, Sercial Curtimenta 2014Barbeito, Sercial Curtimenta 2014The Barbeito Sercial Curtimenta Colheita 2014 is a highly innovative, groundbreaking expression of Madeira wine. Crafted by the progressive winemaker Ricardo Diogo de Freitas at Vinhos Barbeito, it represents a major revolution in the region as Madeira’s first skin-contact Sercial.

Traditional Sercial Madeira is typically fermented off the skins to maintain a light, laser-sharp profile. For this experimental Curtimenta (tanning/skin contact) cuvée, Barbeito flipped the script:

The Fruit: Just 1,000 kg of Sercial grapes were sourced from the quality terroirs of Jardim da Serra and Seixal.

Skin Contact: The grapes were foot-trodden and fermented in small open lagares. Remarkably, the maceration on the skins was extended for three months post-fortification (with the whole grape berries remaining in the cask during maturation).

Aging: It was aged for 8 years in French oak barrels using the traditional, unheated Canteiro method before a very limited bottling of only 890 individually numbered units in March 2023.