Vinha Grande Douro 2021

After destemming and soft crushing, the grapes are transferred to stainless steel tanks, for alcoholic fermentation in order to extract the compounds that give this wine its colour, aroma and flavour. Matured in used French oak barrels for a period of about 12 months. In order to preserve the highest possible quality, it was only subject to filtration prior to bottling.

A wet spring helped replenish the water reserves in the soil, but adversely affected the yield. Summer was extremely warm and dry, particularly in July, aside from a showery spell in the final fortnight of August that allowed for a balanced maturation. The resulting wines were elegant with good aromatic intensity.

A ruby colour of good intensity, this wine has an intense and complex aroma with notes of red and black fruits, spicy hints of pepper and curry, balsamic tones of cedar and tobacco box, and a discreet well-integrated wood element. On the palate, it has good volume, a balanced acidity, firm tannins of great quality and further notes of ripe black fruit that invite a long and very elegant finish.

This wine pairs wonderfully with meat dishes like traditional Portuguese "cozido" or grilled red meats. Incredibly gastronomic, it is also a fantastic accompaniment to white meats or oven-roasted fish.