Domino Colar, Vitor Claro 2019 (Alentejo, Portugal)

Vitor Claro started the Domino project after spending some time making wines and learning from Dirk Niepoort. He parked himself in Alentejo, and began making his own wines quite recently. The Colar Branco is all Malvasia, from limestone soils in the Colares region. Though not from the sandy oceanside vineyards that Colares is famous for, the wine still expressed undeniable seaside character, with saline and tropical notes, and zippy acidity. 50% crushed and 50% whole cluster fermentation and aging in a combination of stainless steel and some barrels. It’s showing a bit of reduction on opening, so open before serving or decant.