Listrão Vinho da Corda 2021

The 2021 Listrão dos Profetas Vinho do P. Santo Vinho da Corda is all Listrão (a.k.a. Palomino Fino) aged for 12 months in old Madeira wine casks. It comes in nicely dry and at 12.4% alcohol (so I was told, notwithstanding the label). As noted for the 2020, only the last pressing— about one-third of the juice—was used for this fermentation. António Maçanita said that this is locally known as Vinho da Corda, meaning “wine of the rope.” That, he said, was the old pressing system where the cage was made of rope, relating to the last squeeze of the press, which was "perceived as the best pressings for the 'Porto Santo Wine' style that is a kind of natural Madeira wine without any fortification." This is not always your typical white, but it is not as different as the 2020 was. The style is slightly rich in aromatics with almond flavors, but in 2021 this seems to emphasize the word "slight." It is still tasty, but the richness isn't there in terms of the mid-palate this year. The structure is brilliant, as the wine finishes tense and gripping. The juicy finish is exciting. Alas, I did not have the 2020 on hand to compare, but this seems fresher and better balanced while the 2020 was richer, more flavorful and more caramelized. Which is going to be more typical, or will it just differ with different vintages? Perhaps a middle ground is possible. We'll see as this young brand evolves. This desperately needs a food pairing, by the way. Don't even think of drinking it all by itself. This is more in the style of Maçanita's Azores wines. This, too, has to prove it can age and develop. It has a good chance to do so. There were just 567 bottles produced. Note that the Profetas brand with the two principals emphasized is the one obvious on the front, but this still says Fitapreta in tiny print on the back for legal purposes, so I've kept it here.