The
new Douro: part 5
Quinta
do Vallado
Quinta do Vallado, Vilharinho
dos Freires, 5050 Peso da Régua, Portugal
T: +351-254 323 147 F:
+351-254 324 326
E-mail: vallado@mail.telepac.pt
Vallado is an old estate, which
since the early 19th century has been owned by the Ferreira
family. Does the name sound familiar? It’s probably because
Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira (1811–1896) is one of the
most prominent figures in the history of the
Douro
. Widowed at an early age, she was evidently shrewd in
business: at a time when the Douro was in an economic slump,
she bought several Quintas on the cheap and established a
Douro
wine empire that persists, in modified form, to this day. The
sixth generation of the Ferreira family now run Vallado, with
the Quinta in the hands of Guilherme Álvares Ribeiro and his
wife Maria Antónia Ferreira.
The history of Vallado as a
producer of table wines is, however, relatively short. It was
as recently as 1995 that the owners decided to vinify their
own grapes and market their own wines. |
Looking down on Quinta
do Vallado from the estate's vinyeards |
Christiano Van Zeller (also
involved at Valldo, as well as running his own property),
standing next to Francisco Ferriera, who manages the
estate. |
The vineyards have been renovated
and restructured. Francisco Ferreira (working for his uncle
Guilherme) is responsible for the overall management of the
quinta and viticulture, and winemaking is in the hands of
Francisco (‘Xito’) Olazabal Jr. of Quinta do Vale Meão.
Xito, by the way, is also related to Dona Antónia Adelaide
Ferreira. It’s a bit like the Royal family.
Altogether there are 64 hectares of
vines, so this is a sizeable estate. 26 ha are old vines; 38 ha
were planted in 1998. A new winery was completed in 1997. These
vineyards are located pretty far down river – more Baixo Corgo
than Cima Corgo – where the climate is a little cooler and
rainier than further upstream. |
The wines themselves are made in a
modern, powerful style and for the most part they work very well. They
still have a bit of
Douro
wildness to them, but in a pretty sophisticated package.
Vallado Branco 2002
Very fresh, limey, herby nose is bright and fruity. The palate is
soft textured with low acidity and a nutty edge. Unusual. Very good
84/100
Vallado Vinha dos Freires 2001
Made from 7 year old vines, this is a mix of Tinta Roriz, Touriga
Franca, Tinta Barocca and a bit of Touriga Nacional. Savoury, spicy
edge to the bright berry fruit nose. The palate is quite ripe with
nice bright fruit and some richness. Softly structured and juicy. Very
good+ 86/100
Quinta do Vallado 2001
A mix of new and old vines. Savoury, herby twist to the bright
berry fruit nose. The palate is rich and supple with spicy fruit and
good acidity. Nice density here – this is a good drinking wine
(it’s priced about £8 in the
UK
, available from Bibendum). Very good+ 88/100
Quinta do Vallado 2002
Reduced quantities (60 000 bottles; there’s potential for double
or triple this) this year because of the difficult vintage. Very
bright cherry and blackcurrant fruit nose with a liquoricey edge. Nice
supple, vivid berryish fruit on the palate with a pleasing plumy
bitterness to the finish. Another nice drinking wine. Very good+
86/100
Quinta do Vallado Reserva 2000
Quite a powerful, ripe nose with a spicy character, some menthol
notes and a tarry quality. The palate is rich, generous and spicy with
a deep, rich structure and smooth tannins. A bold, intense wine. Very
good+ 89/100
Then it was time for some 2003
cask samples:
1. Old vineyards, middle of slope.
Very deep colour. Lovely richness of fruit with soft, supple tannins.
High alcohol and very ripe. Potentially 90–92
2. Top of old vineyards. Lovely
spicy, raspberry and blackberry nose: pure and ripe. Lovely supple
tannins and some richness. Potentially 91–93
3. Tinta Roriz from vineyards
rented near Vale Meão, in a warmer part of the
Douro
. Very bright, forward liquoricey, spicy berry fruit. Very sweet and
open and quite vivid. Potentially 89–91
4. A blend of Touriga Franca and
Touriga Nacional from a rented vineyard. Lovely forward, spicy
perfumed fruit on the nose. Open juicy palate with striking floral
fruit. Amazingly fruity:
Douro
Nouveau! Potentially 88–90
It
looks like the 2003 wines will be very promising here.
see
also: earlier report (June 2002) of Quinta
do Vallado
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