Quinta da Romaneira Vintage Port

Quinta da Romaneira Vintage Port 2018

WHY WE LOVE IT

  • The wine was made entirely from grapes of Quinta da Romaniera – Cotas – Alijó – in the heart of the Douro valley.
  • The 2018 Vintage Port was barreled in used Port wine wooden vats (Tonéis).

Varietal Composition:  65% Touriga Nacional, 35% Touriga Francesa

Elaboration: After a cold and dry winter, spring of 2018 was cold and extremely rainy. These conditions posed great challenges in the vineyards, which, due to these conditions, had an exuberant foliar growth. The beginning of the summer continued to be rainy and with temperatures little characteristic for the season, which after reverted to hot and dry weather until the beginning of the harvest. During August there were temperatures above 40°C for several days, in a heat wave that certainly marked the characteristics of this Vintage wine of 2018.

This heterogeneous year created the conditions for the grapes to reveal all their quality for the making of port wines of excellence. The two main grape varieties that make up this wine, the Touriga Nacional and the Touriga Francesa, revealed their full potential and thus endowed the wine with the typical aromas of the terroir of Quinta da Romaneira.

The grapes are trodden by foot in the stainless steel lagares of the Quinta to obtain the must, and then macerated during fermentation to obtain the best possible extraction of the polyphenolic compounds. Short fermentation cycle of 4 days. The wine is aged in casks of Portuguese oak and Chestnut for a period of 24 months.

Tasting Notes: The 2018 Quinta da Romaneira Vintage Port is magnificently ripe, with profound color, expressive intense rich fruit, and a wonderful underlying freshness. The nose is very characteristic of Romaneira, wild and aromatic, like taking a walk through the Quinta! The finish is fine, long and delicate.

“Soft and generous in feel, with crushed plum, boysenberry pâte de fruit and melted black licorice notes all gliding through in unison while hints of menthol and chocolate coat the finish. Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. Best from 2028 through 2040. 555 cases made, 150 cases imported.” — Wine Spectator

PRESS

90-92 Wine Advocate | 93 – Wine Spectator | 93 – James Suckling | 94 – Wine Enthusiast

PRODUCER BACKGROUND

The 1,100 acre spread of Quinta da Romaneira is widely considered one of the Douro Valley’s most breathtaking estates. The winery began producing port in 1872, but was not legally allowed to bottle under its own name until 1986 when DO changes gave single quintas the authority to do so. Christian Seely purchased Romaneira in 2004 with plans to put the winery shoulder to shoulder with the Douro’s top names in terms of reputation and quality. Seely and winemaker Antonio Agrellos understand what such ambition means – They are the dynamic duo behind the much celebrated rebirth of another great property, Quinta do Noval (which sits literally next door), which they’ve operated for the past twenty years. The entire Romaneira vineyard estate is classified “A” (the highest mark that can be obtained in the Douro) and the house focuses almost completely on unfortified dry wines and vintage style port.

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