The
wines of Quinta de la Rosa, Douro, Portugal
Revieiwing the wines of one of the Douro's top estates
Apartado 16, 5085
Pinhão, Portugal
Tel: +351 254 732 254
Website: www.quintadelarosa.com
E-mail: sophia@quintadelarosa.com
Quinta de la
Rosa is a beautiful Quinta, a short distance along the river from
Pinhão, in the Cima Corgo subregion of the Douro. The Berqvist
family, who at the time owned the Feueheerd Port shipping company,
bought the property in 1906 as a christening present for Sophia
Bergqvist’s grandmother, Claire. And while the shipping company
was sold in the 1930s, La Rosa was kept by the family.
The modern story
of La Rosa as a producer of Port and table wine begins in 1988. This
is when Sophia and her father Tim Bergqvist decided to start making
wines and Ports to market under the Quinta de la Rosa name. The
wines were consistently good, but not great, until young winemaker
Jorge Moreira joined in September 2002. Jorge also makes his own
excellent Douro wines under the name Poeira, but is full time wine
maker at La Rosa.
Sophia Bergqvist
Jorge Moreira
La Rosa has 55
hectares of vines in the Cima Corgo, importantly with a range of
different elevations: 7 ha is at 100 m, 10 ha at 150 m and the rest
between 250 and 450 m. The higher you go, the cooler it gets.
Imposing terraces at La Rosa
A recent
development has been the planting of new vineyards in the Douro
Superior, at Quinta de Bandeiras. This is a 100 hectare property not
far from Pocinho, and opposite the famous vineyards of Vale Meão,
which used to be the source for Barca Velha. The wine made from
Bandeiras is a joint venture between the Bergqvists and Jorge
Moreira, called Passagem.
Bandeiras
Looking from Bandeiras over the river to Vale Meão
Of recent
vintages, Jorge Moreira explains that 2007 and 2008 were both quite
different. ‘I prefer the austerity and minerality of the 2008,’
he says. 2009 is looking good: ‘It’s a commercial vintage with
lots of fruit, smoothness and a good mouthfeel.’ He’s not too
happy with 2010, where there was too much production and the grapes
didn’t ripen well, lacking definition of flavour.
THE WINES
Date of
tasting give in month/year format in brackets
douROSA
Branco 2010
Lively and focused with good acid. Pithy with grapefruit notes,
some citrus fruit and good acidity. 88/100 (06/11)
douROSA
Branco 2009
Very fresh, bright and a bit mineral. Nice, focused citrus
fruits here. 88/100 (10/10)
Quinta de la
Rosa Branco 2010
A portion is oak fermented. Some nutty notes as well as
minerals, citrus and grapefruit. Very lively and bright with good
acidity. Subtle oak influence. 90/100 (06/11)
Quinta de la
Rosa Branco 2009
Nice nose is gently toasty and quite mineral, with peach and
pear fruit. The palate is generous and fruit-driven with precision
and breadth. 90/100 (10/10)
Passagem
‘The Crossing’ Branco 2010
Textured, rich and bold with melon, herbs and grapefruit notes.
Hint of structure, too. A bold, dense, textured white of real
interest. 91/100 (06/11)
Passagem 'The
Crossing' Branco 2009
Some subtle peachy richness on the nose. Bold, rich and quite
concentrated with nutty notes and a bit of spiciness. Full flavoured.
90/100 (10/10)
douROSA Tinto
2009
Fresh, supple and lively with nice berry fruits. Spicy twist on
the finish. Very appealing. 88/100 (06/11)
douROSA Tinto
2008
Lovely vibrant, expressive cherry fruit nose is pure and
restrained. The palate is fresh and expressive with good acidity and
some minerality. Very stylish raspberry and cherry fruit. 90/100
(10/10)
Quinta de la
Rosa Tinto 2008
Nicely aromatic with lovely bright fruit. Vivid cherries and
berries. Good acidity and nice spicy tannins here, in a wine showing
purity and definition. 92/100 (06/11)
Quinta de la
Rosa Tinto 2008
Expressive nose of pure, bright cherry fruit with some spicy
warmth. The palate is a bit violetty with lovely freshness and good
acidity. Lovely fruit. 91/100 (10/10)
Quinta de la
Rosa Tinto 2007
Very bright, pure and elegant with sweet dark cherry and berry
fruits. Brooding. The palate is supple and rich with spicy dark
fruits. Intense and well proportioned. 92/100 (10/09)
Quinta de la
Rosa Tinto 2005
Lovely vivid, fresh dark fruits on the nose. The palate is
smooth and quite elegant with fresh bright fruit. It’s sweetly
fruited yet still fresh. 90/100 (10/07)
Quinta de la
Rosa Reserva 2008
Lovely definition on the nose. Fresh with nice dark cherry, plum
and blackberry fruit, as well as some spiciness. The palate is dense
and structured with some firmness and spiciness. Mineral, tarry,
dense and backward. 94/100 (06/11)
Quinta de la
Rosa Reserva 2008
Vibrant, intense nose of raspberry, cherry and blackberry fruit,
with some spiciness. The palate is refined and quite structured with
some freshness and a bit of oak evident. Rich and quite expressive.
93/100 (10/10)
Quinta de la
Rosa Reserva 2007
Violetty, aromatic and intense with generous fruit on the
palate. Quite serious and meaty. 94/100 (10/10)
Quinta de la
Rosa Reserva 2005
Aromatic, fresh and balanced dark fruits nose with lovely
freshness and spiciness. The palate is concentrated and full with
great balance between the sweet fruit and the spicy tannic
structure. Lovely balance. 93/100 (10/07)
Passagem
‘The Crossing’ 2008
Lovely ripe blackberry, cherry and raspberry fruit aromatics.
Fruity and full. The palate has delicious bright, pure, lively berry
fruit with a nice tarry, herby edge. Lovely purity and definition
here. 94/100 (06/11)
Passagem
‘The Crossing’ 2008
Lovely aromatic, meaty, floral nose showing vibrant dark cherry
and plum fruit. The palate is ripe, pure and expressive with a nice
meaty edge. Lovely stuff. 93/100 (10/10)
Passagem
‘The Crossing’ 2007
Spicy, meaty, dense and vibrant with lovely elegance and
freshness. Expressive dark cherry and berry fruits to the fore, with
nice purity and good structure. 94/100 (10/10)
See
also:
Photos
from Quinta de la Rosa
An
earlier report on Quinta de la Rosa (2006)
An
even earlier report (2004)
Published
07/11
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