Quinta de Vale de Pios- As Tourigas 2007

Typical Douro old vine red. The wine is quite slatey and very mineral heavy. It is elegant, smooth, and surprisingly lean given where it comes from.

Vintage: 2007

Varietal: 50% Touriga Nacional, 50% Touriga Franca

Appellation: Douro DOC

Sulphur (SO2): 63ppm, 15ppm free

Sugar: Dry

Acid: 4.7 g/L

pH: 3.6

Production Size: 1,800 bottles

Altitude: 300m (984.3ft)

Vineyard Age: 40 years

Residual Sugar: 0.8 g/L

Tannin: Elevated

Alcohol: %12.5

Soil Type(s): Cambrian vertical black schist soils with high pH and extraordinary availability of minerals and drainage.

Vineyard Notes

A single parcel 1.5ha old vine plot is the source for this wine. The plants have less foliage and a smaller canopy. Because of the long days in the Douro, more sunlight is naturally available. If you trim the canopy, you are able to concentrate the effort

Production Notes

Native yeast fermentation. The fermentation starts in lagars, with the must being transferred half way through into stainless steel. The pressing occurs just before malolactic fermentation, so the total maceration was four weeks. Aged in French oak barriques, 67% new, for two years. Filtered and bottled, then aged in bottle for 8 years until release.

Fun Fact

The motivation to create this wine was to showcase the ageability of Douro reds. Too much of the region's wine is consumed too young. These two grapes are natural complements to each other. Touriga Nacional in 2007 was exceptionally fruity, elegant, floral and aromatic. 2007 being a cool vintage with a very long growing season provides an even bigger lift on the nose. Touriga Franca is much more dense, tannic, structured. It provides a backbone for the wine.

Food Pairing Notes

Braised beef, leaner cuts of meat, mushroom risotto, lamb chops, bbq ribs, baked beans.

Cuisines To Try With

Portuguese, Brazilian, Argentine, Northern Italian