XXVI Talhas: a remarkable winery in the Alentejo working only with old clay vessels
Website: https://www.xxvi-talhas.pt/
Ricardo Sanios is the dude behind XXVI Talhas, which is based in Vidigueira (it’s pronounced ‘vin-say-sh tal-yas’ if I got it right). He and his colleagues have taken over the cellar of Mestre Daniel (Daniel Tabaquinho dos Santos), which then had 26 Talhas ranging in size from 300-1200 litres. These had been disused for 30 years since the death of Mestre Daniel in 1985, and the number of talhas led to the name of the winery, which works exclusively with these vessels. The first vintage was 2018, and dry-grown old vines are the source of the wines. They have been successful in getting the grapes they want because they pay more.
‘The vineyard makes a big difference,’ says Ricardo. ‘The Talha doesn’t overwhelm the terroir.’
They now have 35 talhas, but haven’t changed their name, and now they have one from 1674. They bought some this year for €1000 each. Some people are trying to make them, but these new ones aren’t as good as the old, and a few who started trying have given up. The new ones have a maximum capacity of 600 litres, but some of the talhas here are as big as 1200 litres. Making big talhas like this is a completely different game.
Pez is used to line most of these vessels, and is a mix of beeswax, olive oil and pine resin. To line a talha, it first has to be heated, but the old pez must be removed first or it will catch fire. Talha 5, from 1847, was destroyed when it caught fire.
There is an association for producers of these wines: Assoca Productores de Vinha de Talha (APVT) which currently has seven members.
A short film of the winery visit:
There are three levels of wine. The first is Tareco, which is entry level wines bottled directly from talha after three months. Then there’s Mestre Daniel, which are blends of talhas and vineyards, with schist and sand soils. These have six months on skins in Talha. Then there are the single-site, single-talha wines under the Mestre Daniel label.
THE WINES
XXVI Talhas Mestre Daniel Branco 2021 Alentejo, Portugal
Antao Vaz, Roupeiro and Perrum, 12% alcohol. 10% stems, 100% skins. Very fine and focused with a lovely chalky edge, as well as a hint of stoniness, showing amazing texture. Salty and chalky in the mouth with nice citrus and pear fruit, as well as a hint of apricot. Amazing texture in the mouth, finishing fresh with a touch of mint. 94/100
XXVI Talhas Mestre Daniel Branco Talha X 2021 Alentejo, Portugal
From just one vineyard owned by Mestre Daniel. Granite soils, a field blend. 11.5% alcohol. Full yellow in colour, this has wonderful aromatics of citrus, mint and apricot with a hint of marmalade. Concentrated and fresh with lovely texture and nice structure. Has brightness and freshness with good purity, showing aromatic fruit and nice tannins. Very serious. 95/100
XXVI Talhas Titan de Tareco 2021 Portugal
50% Douro, 50% Alentejo – a colab with Titan de Douro. Grapes from the Douro are brought here. 11.5% alcohol. 6 months on skins, with the Douro component being Codega. Highly floral and aromatic with peach and pear, some apricot, and minty hints. The palate is fresh and structured with lovely intensity of fruit and a citrus drive, some pear skin, and a bit of apricot. Finishes fresh and fine with a hint of salinity and a bit of tannic grip. 95/100
XXVI Talhas 16 Meses En Talha Branco 2020 Alentejo, Portugal
This is the Mestre Daniel that then spends a further year off skins in a small Talha sealed with olive oil. Full golden in colour. Rich and intense with lovely peach, pear, apple and lemon fruit and lovely grainy grippy structure. This has amazing freshness allied to good structure, showing real precision and nice grip. Sadly just 400 bottles made, but this is profound. 96/100
XXVI Talhas Mestre Daniel Tinto 2021 Alentejo, Portugal
6 months on skins. Warm, spicy and grippy with nice graininess and intense black fruits. There some cherry here, with distinctive earthy hints, and some peppery character from the Tinta Grosso in the blend. Lovely freshness, but some drying tannins on the finish. Despite this, it’s generous and delicious. 93/100
XXVI Talhas Mestre Daniel Talha XV Tinto 2021 Alentejo, Portugal
Mainly Tinto Grosso. Intense, vivid and spicy with peppery characters and some dried herbs. Sweet blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. Fine and textural with nice grippy tannins, showing lovely complexity and layers of flavour. 95/100
Notes from June 2022
XXVI Talhas Palhete 2021
V pale pink in colour. Mineral taut with fine cherries and plums with a juicy edge – very stony and mineral. 94/100
XXVI Talhas Mestre Daniel Branco 2021
Schist and granite soils. 6 months on skins in talha. Very bright mineral and stony with lovely precision and focus. 95/100
XXVI Talhas Branco de Tareco 2021
2.5 months on skins. Minty and fresh with lovely intensity. Notes of mint and minerals with a lovely stony edge. 93/100
XXVI Talhas Mestre Daniel Branco Talha X 2021
Single vineyard, single Talha. Intense, mineral, taut – lovely intensity. Grippy and bright with nice citrus fruit and a slight bitterness. Very fine. 95/100
XXVI Talhas Tinto do Tareco 2021
2.5 months in Talha. Very fine, expressive raspberry and cherry fruit with nice grip. Lovely fruit but with some savoury structure. So expressive, with bitter cherry on the finish. 94/100
XXVI Talhas Mestre Daniel Tinto 2021
6 months in talha. Destemmed for reds and whites. Floral and expressive with intense, nicely structured black cherry and raspberry fruit. Such lovely fruit, and has chalk and clay notes. So fresh and vital. 95/100
XXVI Talhas Mestre Daniel Talha XV 2021
6 months in Talha. Fine, aromatic, spicy nose. Notes of red cherries, plums and spice with lovely elegance and some hints of earth and almonds. 95/100
XXVI Talhas Mestre Daniel Talha X Branco 2019 Alentejo, Portugal
11.5% alcohol. This is a single talha from a vineyard parcel with a blend of local white varieties. It’s a full gold in colour, this has amazing aromatics of mint, peach, pear, some slight medicinal hints (but in a nice way) and fresh clay. The palate is fresh and bright with green tea, chamomile, pear, lemon peel and earth, with a stony edge and nice bitter hints on the finish. Lovely focus and complexity here: this has so much going on, and a bit of structure as well as good acidity on the finish. It’s what white wine from the region (Vidigueira in the south of the Alentejo) would have tasted like in the past, and it’s really good. 94/100
Older notes from November 2019
Mestre Daniel Branco 2018 Alentejo
Blue granite and limestone soils. Six months on skins in Talha. Lovely aromatics: vivid mandarin and orange peel notes with a bit of apricot. Structured, fresh and fine on the palate (just 12% alcohol) with some hints of green tea. Lovely balance here. 93/100
Mestre Daniel Lote X Branco 2018 Alentejo
A single Talha. Field blend from granitic soils, 40 year old vines, six different varieties. Lovely precision here with some grip. Fine with spice and citrus and a twist of grapefruit, as well as some pear and passionfruit. 94/100
Branco de Tareco 2019 Alentejo
This is 300 litres clay vessel only. 12% alcohol. Honey, nuts and spice, as well as some stones. Has some wax character. Textural and interesting with some warmth and a rounded character. Very expressive. 92/100
Tinto de Tareco Palhete 2019 Alentejo
This is made in a 600 litre Talha, and is a field blend of reds and whites (palhete). New wax lining for the Talha this year. Fresh, grainy and stony, and slightly waxy. Shows nice freshness and elegance. Textured and very drinkable. Like a light-style red, with a bit of grip. 93/100
Mestre Daniel Tinto 2018 Alentejo
12% alcohol. Supple and juicy with nice stony undercurrents to the bright cherry and berry fruit. Has a subtle leathery edge and some chalkiness. Fresh and fine. 93/100
Tinto de Tareco 2019 Alentejo
Grainy and detailed with a sense of harmony and some chalky notes. Savoury and fine grained with lovely red fruits. Some warmth on the finish. 92/100
