Posts By : João Pedro Carvalho

Independent Winegrowers’s Association, a Decade of Excellence

Text João Pedro de Carvalho

The group of friends composed by Luís Lourenço (Quinta dos Roques – Dão), Luis Pato (Luis Pato Wines – Bairrada), Pedro Araújo (Quinta do Ameal – Vinhos Verdes), Joao Pedro Araújo (Casa de Cello – Vinhos Verdes/Dão) and Domingos Alves de Sousa (Alves de Sousa – Douro) decided to create a group (IWA) with the aim of making a joint promotion in foreign markets. They are all examples of producers of excellence, with strong character whose wines are faithful to the regions they represent.

The IWA celebrated on May 10, 2014 their 10th Anniversary. The annual meeting took place in Lisbon and gave place to the presentation of the latest news to be launched into the market, all a privilege of one afternoon to taste the best that Portugal (or part of it) has to offer.

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White Wine Commemorative Edition of 10 years IWA – Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

A journey in a tasting format that begins in the Vinho Verde region, from the minerality of Sanjoanne Casa de Cello to the perfumes and charms of Loureiro of Quinta do Ameal. Descending a little we enter to the Douro lands with Alves de Sousa, earthy wines, marked by the terroir as the Quinta da Gaivosa or the great Abandonado, lost in time as the fabulous Porto 20 Year Old Tawny. From Dão region we get the Quinta dos Roques, where the palate caressed by the red silk that is the Roques Garrafeira or by the succulent freshness of red fruit of the Roques Reserva.

Still in Dão, and without forgetting the top wine of Quinta da Vegia which shows all the beauty of the region in a glass, by his side is the Vegia Reserva, more austere and ready for the curves of time. The journey ends in Bairrada, where Luis Pato presents a Baga of reference from the Vinha Barrosa or in the delicacy of the charms that the white Vinha Formal only shows with the time.

At the end we look at the pathway and at what has been tasted, and we are convinced that we have tasted high-quality wines that deserve to be known, able to shine high in any part of the world.

Quinta Sanjoanne Alvarinho 2013 (Regional Minho)

It is a novelty of the producer, an Alvarinho tense and mineral with clean fruit without tropical aroma in excess, tense and with very good freshness. In the mouth, very tasty in passing through the palate, mineral in the background with fruit juice, lemonade dryness at the end with good persistence. Full of detail and beautiful lace, a refined Alvarinho that will be delightful in accompanying some clams or mussels au naturel.

Quinta da Vegia Superior 2007 (DOC Dão)

A red wine of respect that stayed “forgotten” but well-kept by the producer. The wine is pure elegance, charm and complexity of fresh and live fruit, light touch of jam with all the distinctive atmosphere of a great wine from the Dão region.

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Quinta Sanjoanne Alvarinho 2013 | Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas white 2013 – Photo by João Pedro Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

Abandonado 2009 (DOC Douro)
Of an abandoned vineyard the Abandonado was born, a top of the range of the Douro region that conquers by its perfume of violets, mint and succulent fruit with a sweet touch, tobacco, much freshness with a luxurious structure. Large and very tasty, elegant on the palate, rich and full of flavor of enormous presence, long and peppery final.

Quinta da Gaivosa 20 Years Old Tawny Porto (Port Wine)
The blend has an average age of 20 years with very old wines of great quality in the mix. Complexity and elegance that will make you want to have always a little more, the rest is the classic aromas and flavors associated with this type of high-quality wines, soft in the mouth, and a long spicy final.

Luis Pato Vinha Formal white 2013 (Regional Beiras)
Year after year it is stated as a point of reference for the region and the producer, a white that enjoys aging and that the tasting in this moment is full of energy, pudgy fruit, yellow flowers, pollen, all together in a complex and delicate wine. In the mouth it is complemented, always with that bitter dryness at the end with the yellow ripe fruit accompanied by flowers at the beginning.

Luis Pato Vinha Barrosa 2011 (Regional Beiras)
The Baga at the highest level, more serious and more austere than the Vinha Pan, the Barrosa can immediately win by their complexity and aromatic richness. A complete luxury by the purity of flavors, by how the balsamic and the foliage of tomato join the dark and succulent fruit (cherry, black blueberries), a touch of pepper in a set that is still very new but that gives immediate proof of luxury to accompany a wild boar stew.

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Luis Pato Vinha Pan 2010 | Luis Pato Vinha Barrosa 2011 | Luis Pato 2009 – Photo by João Pedro Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

Quinta do Ameal Classico 2013 (Vinho Verde)
A compendium of what a great wine is, made of Loureiro, very fresh, charming and conqueror by the quality and definition of aromas and flavors, all in HD, freshness and minerality that mark the palate associated with fruit wrapped in syrup that delights the palate.

Quinta do Ameal Escolha 2012 (Vinho Verde)
The top of the range of the producer, the most serious and the one that has the least to say while new. You can Feel the austerity, bay leaf still green, clean and mature fruit, very good structure supported by the wood through which it has rested. Mineral background in a wine with a long life ahead.

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Quinta do Ameal Escolha 2004 | Quinta do Ameal Loureiro 2004 – Photo by João Pedro Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

Quinta dos Roques Bical 2013 (DOC Dão)
Only 1200 bottles, a very particular bet from the producer in this delicate and very fresh wine with aromas of flowers, white fruit, very clean with a hint of young girl perfume at the end. In the mouth it persuades by acidity and the presence of delicate fruit in a persistent finish.

Quinta dos Roques Reserva 2011 (DOC Dão)
The Roques Reserva 2005 is one of the wines that has given me more pleasure in recent times. Now came the 2011 and the charm remains at the highest level, the wine is juicy, attractive, with a big red mature and clean fruit. Backed by a very well integrated wood, beautiful body in a wine that shows some very good dryness in the back along with the freshness and a touch of rosemary and pine trees from the region.

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Quinta dos Roques Encruzado 2013 | Quinta dos Roques Malvasia-Fina 2013 | Quinta dos Bical 2013 | Maias 2013 – Photo by João Pedro Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

White Wine Commemorative Edition of 10 years IWA (Vinho)
A White wine in which different varieties were used, one by each producer. In this way the blend named LARBE made from Loureiro, Alvarinho, Rabigato, Bical and Encruzado, originated a total of 1200 bottles. Delicate in the palate with freshness and good complexity, tense and a little austere which indicates a desire from the wine to grow in the bottle. Good minerality in mouth with presence of freshness and fruit cocktail.

Contacts
IWA
Av. da Boavista, 1607 – 5º Dto.
4100-132 Porto, PORTUGAL
Tel: (+351) 226 095 877
Website: www.iwa.pt

The Atlantic wines of the Island of Pico (Azores)

Text João Pedro de Carvalho

Of all demarcated regions in Portugal the wines from the Azores are certainly the most forgotten, the less discussed, the less known and the ones that less often arrive at the table of the consumer. However the situation is changing and there is an effort by local authorities, between producers/CVR, so that these wines will be more frequently seen/consumed.

Focusing only on the Island of Pico, these are wines that are born substantially in the middle of the Atlantic, in soils of lava that mark the landscape of the island and that the local population differentiates between “lajidos” and “terras de biscoito” (Terceira Island). It is a peculiar region, shaped by the human being into the famous “currais”, considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which isolation from everything made it a natural deposit of unique varieties and differentiating (smells and flavors) carried out by the settlers.

Glass of wine at “Vinhos do Pico” – Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

There are three varieties, the Arinto from the Azores, which is different from Arinto Bucelas, the Verdelho which was the first variety deployed on the island and identical to that of Madeira but it is different from the one found in Continental Portugal and the Terrantez do Pico, distinct from Terrantez from Madeira and from the Dão region.

For years the most famous wine of Pico Island was the “licoroso”, whose main characteristic is the non-addition of alcohol. Today the offer is wider and stretches from fresh white wines, with a salty/mineral taste to liqueurs that oscillate between the drier profile to a sweeter one, capable of surprising by their difference. A tasting of contrasts, surprises and comparatives where a strong connection to the table with fish and seafood has become more evident.

Some of the tasted wines – Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

It counted with the presence of producers: Maria Álvares (Cooperativa Vitivinícola da Ilha do Pico), Marco and Rui Faria (Curral de Atlântis), Paulo Machado (Insula Vinhos) and Fortunato Garcia (Vinho Czar), and was led by winemaker António Maçanita (Fita Preta Vinhos).

Curral Atlântis Arinto dos Açores Colheita Seleccionada 2013 (IG Açores)
A lot of freshness, grapefruit, lime, lemon tree leaf, salt, less expressive than the Verdelho. A lot of energy on the palate, fresh, citrus juice, ripe minerality together with good aftertaste.

Curral Atlântis Verdelho Colheita Seleccionada 2013 (IG Açores)
Marked by tropical fruit, clean and ripe, fresh and salty, engaging with notes of flint. Mouth with freshness, herbaceous with fresh tropical fruit, dry with a medium finish.

Curral Atlântis Verdelho/Arinto dos Açores Colheita Seleccionada 2013 (IG Açores)
Tropical fruit aroma with citrus, very mature, good freshness, very clean and round embracing a very harmonious blend. Conjunction with harmony between varieties in a wine clearly made for the table.

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Arinto dos Açores by António Maçanita 2013 – Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

Arinto dos Açores by António Maçanita 2013 (DO Pico)
Freshness in a set marked by a detail of clean fruit (citrus) and delicate touch, salt, all very balanced and giving a very pleasant taste. In the mouth it is fresh, salty, very citrine with persistent finish.

Insula Private Selection 2013 (IG Açores)
Done with Arinto dos Açores, strong character in a wine tense and with much force, notes of flint beside fruit clean and mature, grapefruit and lemon. Mouth with mineral austerity, almost saline, ripe fruit to involve at the end of a dry mouth and persistent finish.

Frei Gigante Reserva 2012 (DO Pico)
A different profile with a blend of Arinto dos Açores with Verdelho and Terrantez do Pico. All fragrant with ripe fruit (pear, grapefruit), smoked, salty, at the same time a feeling of greasiness and immersion. Mouth with good presence of ripe fruit, tasty, good acidity to finish dry and mineral.

One of the tasted wines – Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

Lajido Licoroso Seco 2002 (DO Pico)
Not a wine with an easy approach, recalls slightly Sherry wines, by oxidation in conjunction with a salty touch and dried fruit, buttery with slight iodine. Mouth with dryness, fresh with dried fruit and iodine, a persistent finish and length.

Lajido Licoroso Reserva Doce 2004 (DO Pico)
A more unctuous profile than the Lajido Seco, dry fruit notes covered in caramel, orange caramelized, raisins, biscuits, good complexity. Mouth to match the aromas, engaging and with a beautiful acidity. Long and persistent finish.

Czar Licoroso Superior Doce 2008 (DO Pico)
The more exotic and unusual wine from the tasting session, resin, touch of crystallized fruit with spices, herbs and “tisane”, good freshness packs the set with a touch of salt in the background. Fat, complex, greedy and strange, different and fun.

Curral Atlântis Verdelho/Arinto dos Açores Sweet 2005 (DO Pico)
Slept for 5 years in cask and for 1 year in bottle, very balanced, caramelized orange, saline and unctuous. Shows much freshness in palate connecting with caramelized fruit, syrup, in a long and persistent finish.

Terras de Tavares – The Dão of João

Text João Pedro de Carvalho

The Quinta da Boavista, belongs to the family Tavares de Pina, where they produce the wines Terras de Tavares and Torre de Tavares. It is situated in the Demarcated Region of Dão, Penalva do Castelo between the Terras de Penalva and the Terras de Tavares, at an altitude of approximately 450m.

The Quinta da Boavista dates from the late 18th century and had the vineyard as their main activity. Today they breed horses (Lusitano), but also the famous Serra da Estrela cheese is produced there. The approximately 7ha of vineyard in soils of transition schist-granite of great depth and high clay content give the wines very special characteristics.

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Landscape – Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

The grapes that were previously sold to the local Cooperative, originated in 1997 the first Terra de Tavares, considered today as one of the best wines from this producer. Only in 2005 did they begin to be vinified in Quinta da Boavista. Before that they only blended all the production that afterwards was made at Quinta da Murqueira.

At Quinta da Boavista, João Tavares de Pina a long-time friend and a passionate producer of the region, with all the irreverence that characterizes him, is creating the tastiest wines full of identity, with a strong connection with the land, mirrors of each harvest that are only released to the market when he considers them to be suitable for consumption.

He doesn’t look for easy satisfaction, the wines are made in his image, with a very well integrated wood, prolonged stages in the bottle. All of his wines are very gastronomic and lovers of a good conversation, clearly marked by the soul of the region in avery own imprint that João is intended to improve harvest after harvest.

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Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

In conversation we learn that João has a very special affection for Jaen, which he considers to be of enormous potential, adding also the Tinta Pinheira and Touriga Nacional. João soureced in Quinta da Lomba (Gouveia) the grapes used to produce his white wines based on Encruzado, Cerceal and Síria. However, the vines were sold so we will have to wait perhaps until 2015 for a new Torre de Tavares white.

On a recent visit to the Quinta da Boavista, I took the opportunity to enjoy the fantastic winetourism and the excellent regional cuisine that João Tavares de Pina prepares to accompany his wines. I regret not having taken my swim trunks to take a dip in the fantastic pool. Maybe another time.

Starting with the whites, still available on the market:

Torre de Tavares Síria 2009 (Regional Beiras)
The aroma shows notes of very good evolution, medium intensity, flowers, fruit (mandarin, green apple) with a lot of frills and minerality background. Mouth with cohesive structure, very tasty with notes of ripe fruit with a fresh and very mineral finish.

Torre de Tavares Encruzado 2008 (DOC Dão)
Encruzado that was not filtered, shows evolved aroma with complexity, full of details, ripe fruit, yellow flowers with grapefruit and quince, straw, feeling of greasiness with good minerality. Mouth with fruit in syrup, freshness with a hint of minerality in the backdrop.

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João Tavares Pina – Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

In the red wines the highlights go to:

Rufia 2012  (DOC Dão)
The Rufia (Thug) was born during the 2009 harvest as a 100% Rufete (Tinta Pinheira), now in the new edition is joined with Touriga Nacional and Jaen. The result is a cheeky and fragrant wine, little consensus due to the herbaceous component (tomato foliage) that is in evidence, although the fruit is present with very good quality and is almost chewable.

Torre de Tavares Jaen 2008 (DOC Dão)
Will go on sale in the coming months, very new but full of charm, so characteristic of the Dão region. In spite of the six years that it already has, it is clean and fresh, full of energy, with a lot of forest fruit, balsamic, pine, cocoa, wood very well integrated with freshness throughout the taste. An explosion of flavor on the palate, freshness with tannins ask for food to be close by with a long and persistent finish. Beautiful Jaen.

Terras de Tavares Jaen 2007 (DOC Dão)
A wine that awakens a smile, very clean and rich in aromas, cohesive and engaging to show the great that it wine is. Aromas characteristic of the Dão region, pine, berries, much freshness always present, cocoa, mineral in the background. Mouth to match, great support structure, very good freshness with the juicy fruit presence, firm tannins with a long spicy finish.

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Terras de Tavares Reserva 1997 – Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

Terras de Tavares Touriga Nacional 2008 (DOC Dão)
A Touriga Nacional more contained and delicate, clean aroma, seductive and fresh, lavender, pine, more herbaceous with ripe fruit well integrated. Mouth well structured to show fruit (cherry) well integrated with wood, balsamic and mineral in the background with tannins still unpolished. Long and persistent finish.

Terras de Tavares 2006 (DOC Dão)
A blend of Touriga Nacional/Jaen with a 3 years stage in cask and later maturing in the bottle. The wine is still very new, full of force and asking for some more time, floral with black fruit, minerality in the background. In the mouth a lot of strength, tannins present, fat fruit, freshness, earthy with a grand final.

Terras de Tavares Reserva 1997 (DOC Dão)
A blend of Jaen/Touriga Nacional with the first dominating to the second, complex and delicate, clean and fragrant, resin, floral, cocoa, gluttonous red fruit (blueberry, cherry) with an earthy and spicy touch. In the mouth it is smooth but firm, long, tamed tannins, very elegant with signs of a classic Dão, it needs time in the glass. Long and persistent finish in a wine which extols its region.

Contacts
Quinta da Boavista – Castelo de Penalva
3550-058 Penalva do Castelo, Portugal
Tel (+351) 91 985 83 40 (João Tavares de Pina)
Email: jtp@quintadaboavista.eu
Site: www.quintadaboavista.eu

João Portugal Ramos Loureiro 2013, the inexpensive pleasures of Vinho Verde

Text João Pedro de Carvalho

The adventure of João Portugal Ramos in the wine world began in 1980. Having had vineyards in Dão, Lisboa and Setúbal, today his presence is now limited to the regions of Alentejo, Tejo, Beiras and Douro.

The international channels of distribution asked him for a Vinho Verde, and that was what he did launching in 2010 his first wine from that region, the Lima Loureiro exclusively for the American market.

Having consolidated the project based in Monção, an investment of approximately 1 million Euros, he successfully launched in the harvest of 2012, the João Portugal Ramos Alvarinho (Portugal, UK and USA).

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João Portugal Ramos Loureiro 2013 – Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

Now comes the time to unveil in the Portuguese market and with equal success, the João Portugal Ramos Loureiro 2013 (€ 3,79 RRP). A wine with a very fresh and elegant aroma, citrus fruits, lemongrass and aromatic herbs, combined with a strong minerality. On the palate, it has good acidity and refreshing flavors, with a lasting finish. The Vinho Verde region receives the maritime influence and therefore its wines are a truly welcome symbol of summer, a perfect pair with shellfish, ceviche or to enjoy as an easy-to-drink summer wine.

Contacts
João Portugal Ramos Vinhos S.A.
Vila Santa
7100-149 Estremoz
Portugal
Tel: (+351) 268 339 910
Fax: (+351) 268 339 918
Website: www.jportugalramos.com

Single Harvest Tawnies of excellence!

Text João Pedro de Carvalho

Quinta do Noval is one of the great Port houses. It not only produces the most famous Vintage Port of them all, the legendary ‘Nacional’, it is also the only big name producer whose top wines are exclusively single vineyard (i.e., “Quinta”).

The Quinta do Noval history dates back to 1715, when it was first listed on the land registries of its time. The area of one hundred and forty-five hectares, which dominates the Pinhão Valley (Cima Corgo) constitutes the essence and soul of Quinta do Noval. In 1894 (after its devastation by phylloxera) it was purchased by the distinguished Port shipper António João da Silva. Da Silva breathed new life into Quinta do Noval, replanting the phylloxera-ravaged one hundred and forty-five hectare vineyard (entirely classified letter A) onto American rootstocks. In 1925, a very small section at the heart of the Noval vineyard (two hectare) was selected to attempt to retain the indigenous Portuguese vines on Portuguese rootstock (Nacional) as an experiment. The first wine to be made and sold from these young vines was the Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage 1931, arguably the most sensational Port of the XXth century.

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Quinta do Noval © Blend All About Wine, Lda

António João Silva’s work was continued by his son-in-law, Luiz Vasconcelos Porto, who led the company for 30 years and retired in 1963. Author of a vast program of innovations: he transformed many of the narrow older terraces into the broad terraces that are such a distinctive feature of Noval with their whitewashed staircases. The first stencilled bottles were introduced by Noval in the 1920s; Noval in 1958 was the first house to introduce a late-bottled vintage: 1954 Quinta do Noval LBV and pioneered the concept of Old Tawnies with an indication of age (10, 20 and over 40 years).

In exceptional years certain lots of wine with great ageing potential are put aside to spend their lives maturing in barrels. At a given stage, Noval decides to bottle a part of a vintage. The rest is kept in casks where the wine will mature into a new expression at a later stage. Increasingly rare, these wines combine refinement and elegance and are the supreme expression of the old Tawny Ports, and as a Vintage Port will take the specific characteristics of the harvest year. Legislation requires a minimum ageing period of 7 years in casks. At Quinta do Noval, Colheitas are commercialized after maturing for 10 to 12 years.

António Agrellos, the Technical Director of Quinta do Noval since 1994 and one of the greatest Port wine blenders led us on a fantastic tour of some of the best Quinta do Noval Colheitas.

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Quinta do Noval Colheita 2000 © Blend All About Wine, Lda

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Quinta do Noval Colheita 1995 © Blend All About Wine, Lda

Quinta do Noval Colheita 2000

Displays all the class of a young Tawny, full of life, teen spirit, conquering us by its vitality and presence. Shows an attractive complexity with an intense and mature bouquet, candied fruit, youthful, clean and invigorating. Sweet and complex on the palate, elegant structure, with a persistent finish.

Quinta do Noval Colheita 1995

A tawny port in the path to adulthood, in a new fuller dimension, more evolved and of greater complexity and profundity. Very well defined set of aromas with a beautiful complexity, caramel, dried fruits (Walnuts and hazelnuts), sweet spice, candied fruit (orange, lemon, peach). Medium body, elegant, light greasiness with good acidity, lingering finish.

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Quinta do Noval Colheita 1976 © Blend All About Wine, Lda

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Quinta do Noval Colheita 1971 © Blend All About Wine, Lda

Quinta do Noval Colheita 1976

A very temperamental wine, born in the Punk Rock era, wrapped in rebelliousness and certainly the most exotic from this session in the best Ramones style. Hey! Ho! Let’s go! The Anthology. With a very good complexity, cigar box, resin, dried fruit, caramel. Medium-bodied and deliciously concentrated in the mouth, smooth as silk, with hints of spice. Long finish.

Quinta do Noval Colheita 1971

“Saudade” expresses a very peculiar feeling, when we miss something we like. This wine is one of those things. Pure sex appeal, beautifully complex, spices, butterscotch, raisins and dried fruits, some honey and tea aromas. The mouthfeel is amazingly rich yet elegant, wonderful freshness with exotic spice, long and persistent finish. A wonderful wine!

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Quinta do Noval Colheita 1964 © Blend All About Wine, Lda

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Quinta do Noval Colheita 1937 © Blend All About Wine, Lda

Quinta do Noval Colheita 1964

As in 1964 the Beatles or The Rolling Stones fans leaped and shouted with enthusiasm, tasting this wine I felt like doing exactly the same thing. Intriguing and at the same time a conqueror, highly refined and delicate aroma, nutty, raisins and soft undertones of caramel, old cask. Almost velvet in the mouth, bold and tasty with great freshness for its age, very long finish. Spectacular!

Quinta do Noval Colheita 1937

The year 1937 was marked by the coronation of King George VI of England, at the same time the San Francisco Bay’s Golden Gate Bridge was inaugurated and J. R. R. Tolkien published The Hobbit. Only a wine such as this could honor events like these. A remarkable old tawny, amazing complexity, dried fruit, great definition, wonderful richness, spices, marmalade, old wood, cigar box. Luxurious palate that melts with a very good integrated acidity which gives a perfect balance, layers of flavor leading to an endless and seductive finish.

Contacts
Quinta do Noval Vinhos, SA
AV. DIOGO LEITE, 256
4400 – 111 VILA NOVA DE GAIA
Portugal
Tel: (+351) 223 770 270
Fax: (+351) 223 750 365
E-mail: noval@quintadonoval.pt
Website: www.quintadonoval.com

Morgadio da Calçada, from Provesende to the world

Text João Pedro de Carvalho

In the peacefulness of the picturesque village of Provesende (Douro) reigns a cozy atmosphere, full of tradition.

The fresh and clean morning air is taken by the smell of baked bread that travels the streets and guides us to an obligatory visit to the bakery. One of the most ancient manors in the village is Casa da Calçada, a stately Douro manor whose foundation dates back to the sixteenth century belonging to Morgado da Calçada, built in the late seventeenth century by Judge Jerónimo da Cunha Pimentel and remaining in the family until the present day.

Manuel Villas-Boas opens the gate that gives way to a set of old farm buildings, recent objects of deep and careful rehabilitation, which resulted in a beautiful wine tourism unit. In total, there are eight bedrooms and swimming pool, where good taste is allied with tradition and a needed slight touch of modernity. If we combine all this with the art of hospitality of Manuel Villas-Boas and the regional cuisine, the only thing left is to approach the beautiful wines that are produced there.

Casa da Calçada – Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

In fact wine has always been part of the history of that house. A visit to the old cellar only confirms this with the presence of stately and historic wooden casks. The approximately 4.5 hectares of vines live alongside the house. Their conversion began in 1980 ending around the 90s. The vineyard is divided into three parts: the oldest with more than 100 years, one of white grapes about 2.5 hectares long and around 20 years old and the other red varieties of approximate 30 years of age. It was then that the partnership Casa da Calçada – Niepoort was created with the emergence of Morgadio da Calçada. The entire winemaking process is handled on Quinta de Nápoles (Niepoort). No detail has been left to chance, the design of the labels has the signature of the architect Siza Vieira for table wines and the architect Michel Toussaint for Port wines. Dirk Niepoort is an admirer of the vineyards of Provesende, creating wines of great freshness and elegance helped by the 600 meters of altitude and the broad temperature range. In tasting, none of them are marked by oak and all show a huge gastronomic appetite.

Morgadio da Calçada White 2012, Douro – Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

Morgadio da Calçada White 2012, Douro

Consequence of a great year, in it reigns the cleanness and freshness of ripe fruit (citrus, white plum, pear) of great quality. Only 60% of the blend went through oak in a very new and energetic set, dominated by mineral austerity in the background. Elegant taste in mouth, fruit present with harmony, some oak toast with freshness to involve the whole set.

Morgadio da Calçada Reserva White 2010, Douro

A wine that grows with time in the glass, benefits if decanted, showing an exquisite bouquet with fruit present (citrus, white plum), complex, elegant and inviting. 100% passed through oak, gaining some heaviness in a more structured and profound, complex and serious profile than his younger brother. Very good presence in mouth, with mild creaminess, full fruit flavor in a spicy, mineral, lingering finish.

Morgadio da Calçada Red 2004, Douro – Photo by João Pedro de Carvalho | All Rights Reserved

Morgadio da Calçada Red 2011, Douro

Aged in used barrels, discreet oak sustains a set dominated by fresh red/black fruit (berries, raspberry) gluttonous with mild sweetness, a hint of smoke and cocoa. Very elegant, with good structure, palate full of freshness and fruit, engaging finish with slight dryness.

Morgadio da Calçada Red 2004, Douro

It was the first red of Morgadio da Calçada, simply delicious, captivates immediately. The clean fruit, ripe and very well defined, is shown bathed in a cape of mild sweetness, wrapped in freshness and complexity, spices, cistus, cocoa, deep and conversationalist. Full of flavor and freshness, soft on the palate, very refined, light trace of vegetable and spice in the mouth, long and persistent finish. Very good.

Morgadio da Calçada Reserva Red 2007, Douro

The Reserva born from the best grapes from the oldest vines is serious and complex, a slight austerity is felt so characteristic of red Douro, asking for time. Expressive fruit (cherries, blackberries) with notes of cistus, spice, notes of liquor, mineral, elegant and soft on the palate. Tasty with rich texture, freshness and depth, in a red of excellence and class.

Contacts
Largo da Calçada | Provesende
5060-251 Sabrosa (Portugal)
Tel: (+351) 254 732 218
Mobile: (+ 351) 915 347 555
E-mail: mvb@morgadiodacalcada.com
Website: www.morgadiodacalcada.com