Casca Wines Fernao Pires Monte Cascas

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The 2008 FERNAO PIRES “MONTE CASCAS” was 100% oak aged in used oak for 11 months. It is from an old vineyard, and obviously the winery intends to do something different and special with it. The good news—this shows good depth and concentration for this grape variety and its oak treatment is pretty well done, showing little of the overdone vanilla and sour vanilla nuances one often gets from overoaked whites that lack the body to absorb the oak. It still shows, of course, and perhaps more than necessary, particularly as the wine warms up. It is quite tasty, though. This is, on the whole, a nicely done white and an unusual style and an unusual example for this grape. The bad news—the price point is very high for what it is, for whatever reason (low production, old vines). It is going to be hard to justify for consumers for any Portuguese white in this economy, let alone an unknown wine from an unknown (to American consumers) grape in Ribatejo. If you stumble across a bottle, though, you’ll likely be reasonably content, but as a consumer advocate I feel compelled to note that many might be about as happy—for a lot less—with Wine Project Portugal’s own Fernao Pires from Sant’Ana, reviewed this issue. Drink now-2014. These wines are part of Joe Veselko’s (formerly having worked at Pocas) Wine Project Portugal import venture, designed to showcase various Portuguese regions and grapes. The Casca winemakers are Frederico Gomes (formerly of Herdade da Malhadinha Nova) and Helder Cunha, who worked at Kent Rasmussen and Vinhos Borges. The Monte Cascas brand label means “pile of shells,” very loosely, the origin of the name for Cascais, the winemakers’ home town, not far from Lisbon. The Cape Roca brand label, with various maritime and nautical themes like “boat” and “fisherman,” references Portugal’s connection with the Atlantic Ocean, as Cape Roca is the westernmost point of the European continent. The Cape Roca wines are meant to be a little more approachable and accessible to the average consumer. They tend to be made in greater quantities and are often at lower price points—at the least, the ultra premium wines are under the Monte Cascas label. Finally, make sure you’re looking at the right region in the reviews. There may be more than one 2008 Casca Reserva Tinto, for example—one from Douro, one from Alentejo, etc.Importer: Laurel Importers, Bristol, R.I.; tel: (401) 396-9661