Quinta Do Vale Meao Douro 2019 (750ml)

 

Rated 99 Points by Wine Enthusiast

 

Nose deep, complex, with many aromatic nuances, without any aroma overlapping another.  In the proof it is vibrant, in a set of great elegance, excellent integration of the wood, surprising by the great variety of flavors, with a very long finish.

 

Quinta Do Vale Meao Douro 2019

 

A selection of the estate’s finest lots

 

The wine features a deep and complex nose with a variety of aromatic nuances.  The palate is vibrant and elegant, exhibiting an excellent integration of the oak, a broad range of flavors including ripe blackberry, cloves, and vanilla bean, and a wonderfully long finish.

 

Winemaker:  Francisco Olazabal

 

Blend:  60% Touriga Franca, 35% Touriga Nacional, 3% Tinta Barroca, 2% Tinta Roriz

 

Alcohol:  14%

 

Tasting Notes

Very concentrated in colour.  Deep and complex nose with lots of aromatic nuances, yet maintaining the balance between them.  In the mouth it is vibrant, in a set of great elegance, showing an excellent integration of the wood, a surprisingly large variety of flavours, and a very long aftertaste.

 

Vinification

 

After being crushed, the grapes were cooled down and trodden by foot during four hours in granite lagares and then transferred to small-refrigerated stainless steel vinifying vats.  In this vintage approximately 10% of the wines fermented with stems.  Each grape variety and vineyard is vinified separately.  The final blend is only made before bottling.  All the wine was matured in French Allier oak barriques (225 litres), 45% new and 55% second usage.

 

Harvest Report 2019

 

The 2019 winegrowing year was characterized by a very dry and cold climate.  The beginning of November 2018 brought above average rainfall, but over the following months these values decreased, resulting in a dry but also colder than average winter.

 

Spring started with high temperatures but in its late stages, it declined considerably, remaining low throughout the summer.  This allowed good flowering conditions, thus bringing a very interesting yield potential.  Due to the low temperatures during summer, the occurrence of cluster scald was practically non-existent.

 

From the physiological point of view, the mild days and cool nights of August led to slow and balanced maturation, which minimized the usual water stress of the plants.

 

A slower maturation led to a long harvest, with very selective picking of the different plots and grape varieties.  The red grapes picking started on August 27 with the always precocious Tinta Barroca.  The last grapes of the Quinta were harvested on October 10.

 

Due to a much fresher year than usual, the 2019 wines will turn out to be fresh, elegant and with very balanced acidity.

 

 

Quinta Do Vale Meão

 

Quinta do Vale Meão started life as one of the shrewd acquisitions of Doña Antónia Adelaide Ferreira (owner of 30 quintas by the time of her death).

 

In 1877 she purchased 270 hectares of land near Vila Nova de Foz Côa in Douro Superior, and established a quinta and vineyard; several generations along, it's now owned by Doña Antónia's descendant, Fransisco (Vito) Olazabal.

 

In the 1970s, Antónia Adelaide Ferreira's great-great-great-grandson became responsible for the management of Quinta do Vale Meão and began the long and laborious process of acquiring the shares that belonged to his kin and to other co-owners of the property.

 

In 1994, he and his children became the sole owners of the estate, which now produces, ages and markets its wines as a new company: F. Olazabal & Filhos.

 

The historic family estate, founded in 1877 by the legendary Port producer Doña Antónia Adelaide Ferreira and now owned by her great-great-grandson Fransisco Javier de Olazabal, is situated in the wild upper reaches of the Douro.

 

 

Rated 99 Points by Wine Enthusiast

 

Nose deep, complex, with many aromatic nuances, without any aroma overlapping another.  In the proof it is vibrant, in a set of great elegance, excellent integration of the wood, surprising by the great variety of flavors, with a very long finish.