Profetas e dos Villões: António Maçanita and his remarkable wines from Porto Santo and Madeira
Website: https://www.antoniomacanita.com/en
António Maçanita is a well known Portuguese winemaker, doing good things in the Alentejo, Douro and the Açores. But some of his most remarkable wines come from a small island next to Madeira, Porto Santo.
Here he has established a Profetas e dos Villões, in conjunction with a friend Nuno Faria, who runs a restaurant on Madeira. Maçanita calls it his ‘Covid project’.
The name translates as prophets and villains: the Madierans refer to Porto Santo folk as prophets, and they in turn refer to Madeirans as villains. Faria spent his childhood holidays on Porto Santo, and he told Maçanita about the vineyards here.
Porto Santo has a very different climate to Madeira. Madeira is mountainous, and gets a lot of rainfall, hence it is lush and green. Porto Santo is flat and only gets 380 mm of rain a year, which makes it arid. The soils are different to Madeira, too: calcareous sandstones.
The first wines were made in Madeira, but since 2022 there is a winery on Porto Santo.
In addition to the Profetas (Porto Santo wines) he’s also added some Madeiran wines to the project (Villões). The wines are mainly labelled DOP Madeirense, but the nicknames are used to distinguish them. Since some of the wines were made in the new winery on the island, they can be labelled DO Porto Santo
António Maçanita Profetas e dos Villões Caracol Fazendas Areia 2021 Porto Santo, Portugal
Lovely density with notes of orange peel and lime. Stony and vivid with keen acidity, nice depth and subtle waxy detail. Intriguing. 94/100
António Maçanita Profetas e dos Villões Caracol Fazendas Areia 2023 Porto Santo, Portugal
Very taut, but still has some depth. Lemons, wax and minerals with crystalline citrus and some keen acidity. So fine. 95/100
António Maçanita Profetas e dos Villões Caracol dos Profetas Uvas Passas 2022 Porto Santo, Portugal
This is passito style and spends 3 years in cask. Nuts, honey and lime on the nose. The palate is powerful and lively with a hint of raisin, and some lime and marmalade. Bold, intense, yet balanced, with a salty finish. Such a wine. 96/100
António Maçanita Profetas e dos Villões Listrão dos Profetas 2021 Porto Santo, Portugal
80 year old vines. Waxy, stony and bright, this is vivid with nice energy. Taut and focused with limey fruit. Very expressive. 95/100
António Maçanita Profetas e dos Villões Sercial Los Villões 2023 Madeira, Portugal
Concentrated and linear with nice texture to the powerful citrus fruit. Crystalline with nice lemony acidity. Bold. 94/100
António Maçanita Profetas e dos Villões Crosta Calcária 2023 Porto Santo, Portugal
This is from the centre of the island. Very fine, linear and refined with crystalline citrus fruit on the nose. The palate is smoky, spicy and mineral, and quite refined with explosive energy. Lemony, intense and thrilling. 97/100
António Maçanita Profetas e dos Villões Tinta Negra dos Villões 2022 Madeira, Portugal
Chalky edge to the nose. Supple, juicy and vivid with nice red cherry fruit. Great focus and energy with real refinement. Lovely balance. 94/100
Older notes:
António Maçanita Profetas e dos Villões Listrāo does Profetas 2021 Porto Santo, Portugal
Very linear, fine and pure. Bright and saline with high acidity. Concentrated, showing pure lime fruit with a hint of pear. 96/100
António Maçanita Profetas e dos Villões Caracol dos Profetas 2021 Porto Santo, Portugal
Smoky, spicy, mineral nose with very fine chalky citrus fruit on the palate. Mineral and stony with lovely saline citrus character. 95/100
António Maçanita Profetas e dos Villões Caracol Fazendas Areia 2021 Porto Santo, Portugal
Bright, concentrated and mineral with lovely precision to the fine citrus fruit. Lively with lovely intensity. 96/100
António Maçanita Profetas e dos Villões Tinta Negra dos Villões 2021 Madeira, Portugal
Supple and fresh with fine red cherries and raspberries on the nose. The palate is fine and supple with juicy cherries and raspberries showing amazing precision. Fine green hints, too. 95/100
António Macanita Caracol dol Prefetas 2021 Porto Santo, Portugal
Caracol is the grape variety here, grown on Porto Santo island then shipped to next door Madeira for vinification. Clay/limestone soils at 50 m altitude, 40-80 year old vines trained low because of winds, fermented in stainless steel. Taut and saline with lovely precision, showing some mineral notes. Tight citrus fruit on the palate with a touch of apple, showing fine spiciness and good acidity. Some salinity too. Amazing tension here. 95/100
