Mira do O 'Druida' Encruzado Reserva, Dao, Portugal 2020

Nuno Mira do Ó is the singular inertia that drives both V. Puro and his eponymous Mira do Ó project in the myriad directions across the Portuguese landscape. Nuno is an untethered vine hunter, scouring the full country with the pure heart of a vigneron unlocking the core of any realized terroir. When he does root himself eventually, it is in agreement with the “old-timers”, often hiding a few rows, for sure off the beaten path. Certainly nothing is contiguous. In fact, he often has to travel into separate regions to satisfy the hunt. The reward is worthy of his tireless efforts, since his goal is the original clones of the indigenous varietals, shared and planted before the government mandated nursery clones were dispersed for larger co-op production decades ago. Exact location is perhaps not as important. It is these old timers that give wisdom and complexity to his wines.

If there is one producer in particular that we appreciate for a vision, a roadmap toward Portugal’s terroir appreciation and understanding, Nuno would stand out. We have the great pleasure of getting to know him now through V. Puro’s finessed Baga and his sensuous Encruzado in Mira do Ó. It will be a pleasure furthermore where we meet him down the road.

100% Encruzado
These low yield vineyards are 30 years old and produce premium quality grapes. The aim of this wine is to express its “terroir”: fresh, mineral and complex.
2 different parcels - on right bank of River Dao, 500m altitude Here is it mostly granite, some clay on top. Some parts of the vineyards have pebbles