The
Douro wine revolution
Part 9: Quinta do Infantado
5085-217 Covas de Douro, Portugal
Phone: +351 254 738 020 Fax: +351 254 731 586
After touring the vineyards at
Crasto, and visiting Quinta do Vale D. Maria and Quinta do
Vallado, I was pretty tired as I checked into my room at the
wonderful Casa do Visconde de Chanceleiros. It was
already past seven, but faced with the choice of another
winery visit, or a nice relaxing meal, what would you do? It's
obvious -- the winery visit wins hands down. I leapt at the
opportunity to visit Quinta do Infantado, and so Joćo Roseira
picked me up and drove me the short distance to the winery in
Covas de Douro.
Infantado has a traditional,
almost run down appearance, with lots of ancient barrels, but
the Ports produced here are impressive. Joćo, and his
winemaker Luis Soares Duarte, also produce a range of table
wines under the Bago de Touriga name, but these are not made
here. Joćo is currently hard at work developing a visitor
centre at the winery so that he can offer a cellar door
facility to tourists. This is still relatively rare in the
Douro.
Joćo thinks that it's important
to make the full range of ports in lagares, not just the
vintage. They give elegance, which he claims that tanks can
never give. In lagares there's a very high ratio of skins to
must, but you do need a lot of people to tread them
regularly or else you don't get the advantage. At Infantado
the brandy addition is a partial process that takes place in
the lagar. In the absence of any cooling, doing it bit by bit prevents the
temperature rising and damaging the fruit. It also causes the
yeast to work more slowly and facilitates an enhanced
extraction from the skins.
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Joćo Roseira
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Joćo
very kindly invited me to his home for dinner. While he cooked, I
worked my way through several wines that he had opened, taking notes
of course (for a full write up of the Bago de Touriga wines, you'll
have to wait for the write-up of the grand Douro tasting and dinner in
Chanceleiros). I was very impressed by the 1999 Infantado Vintage
port, which recently came joint first in a blind tasting of 1999 ports
put on by Portugal's leading wine magazine.
Bago de Touriga Montevalle 1999,
Douro
10 000 bottles of Montevalle are made. 84% is fermented in stainless
steel, 16% in lagar, and it spends 12 months in Portuguese, French or
Russian oak barrels. Very deep purple/black colour. Savoury, spicy
nose. Palate is firm with a dense herbal character, spicy, dusty
tannins and good acidity. Tight and concentrated, with just a hint of
rusticity. Very good+
Inside the winery |
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Chāteau de Tours Reserve
1999, Cōtes du Rhōne
Lovely savoury spicy palate with dusty, firm tannins and some
warm southern character. The nose is a little closed. A very
savoury, authentic style of wine -- even a little old
fashioned. Lovely structure and mouthfeel. Very good/excellent
Vinha do Fojo 1996, Douro
This is the second wine of Fojo, an estate that became famous
for the staggeringly high prices it asked for its first
release (the 1996). This wine is a deep red/black colour and
has quite an open herby nose with black fruits and a tarry
edge. The palate is quite herby and savoury with firm tannins
and a spicy finish. A nice food wine. Very good+ |
Bago
de Touriga Gouvyas 1999, Douro
From vineyards in the Cima and Baixa Corgo, and matured in French and
Portuguese oak. Savoury, spicy nose is a little shy. Palate is taut,
dense, concentrated and spicy. There's lots of savoury character here,
and dry, grippy tannins with high acidity. It's almost austere, but is
a lovely food wine. Very savoury and firm in style. Very
good/excellent
Quinta
do Infantado Vintage Port 1999
Deep red/black colour. Intense spicy, herby nose with complex
liquorice and caramel notes. Wonderfully focused vivid spicy/herby
palate showing lots of savoury, spicy, tannic structure. This is
superbly structured, although there's something a little unusual about
the nose: a lifted, almost minty note. Lots of potential here for
development. Very good/excellent
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