Churchill Estates Douro 2008
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Winemaker Notes
In the mouth an elegant wine with a rich flavour and well integrated tannins to give a very long and well balanced finish to the palate.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Firm, with leafy notes behind the flavors of cherry, red plum and red currant. There's a minerally cut to the juicy finish, as well as some chocolate mint notes. Drink now through 2015. 8,333 cases made.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 TINTO (CHURCHILL’S ESTATES) is a blend of 40% Touriga Nacional and 30% each of Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz, aged for 12 months in a mixture of new and old oak. Nicely constructed, with an earthy nose and velvety feel to it, this has some power and punch, along with some real intensity and a little depth. I liked the texture best, closely followed by the structure, more than the somewhat sauvage nose. It should hold nicely. If it is your style, there’s a lot here to admire at a reasonable price. Drink now-2018.
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Wine Enthusiast
A juicy wine, showing ripe fruit and sweet acidity. It feels soft and fresh, the lively fruit much more important than the lean structure.
Other Vintages
2013-
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These now provide the basis for our single estate “Quinta da Gricha,” and our “Churchill Estates” red wines. As of 2003 we have decided to increase the percentage of Touriga Nacional in these wines to give them greater aromatic elegance and identity.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.