Touriga Nacional
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 3–8 years from vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted lamb, grilled ribeye steak, aged hard cheeses
✨ Technical Specifications
Scheid Vineyards' exploration of Portuguese varieties led them to plant Touriga Nacional in the warm, sheltered microclimate of the Hames Valley AVA in southern Monterey County. Traditionally celebrated as the crown jewel of Portugal's Douro Valley and the backbone of fine Port wines, Touriga Nacional thrives in Hames Valley's intense daytime heat and dramatic evening cooling. Scheid crafts this grape into a rare, dry, single-varietal bottling. The wine is celebrated for its deep, opaque ink color, robust structure, and highly aromatic profile characterized by signature notes of violets, dark plums, and bergamot tea, refined by aging in oak barrels.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1972 by pioneer Al Scheid, Scheid Vineyards began as an ambitious viticultural venture in southern Monterey County, initially supplying fruit to major California wineries before evolving into a vertically integrated estate wine producer. Spanning more than 3,000 acres across a 70-mile expanse of the Salinas Valley—encompassing microclimates across the Monterey, Arroyo Seco, and Hames Valley AVAs—the estate leverages thermal diurnal shifts driven by maritime winds off Monterey Bay. Viticulture balances alluvial gravel, decomposed granite, and clay-loam soils across twelve distinct ranch sites, farmed under SIP Certified and Certified California Sustainable standards, with the winery fully powered by an onsite wind turbine. Winemaking prioritizes varietal clarity, tension, and texture across an eclectic portfolio, celebrated for vibrant Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, aromatic Viognier, racy Dry Riesling, and rare regional white bottlings such as Petit Manseng and Roussanne.
🍇 Grapes
Touriga Nacional