Lavradores de Feitoria Tres Bagos 2004

Started in August of 2000, Lavradores de Feitoria is a collective project between 15 quality-minded Quintas in the Douro. While it is technically a cooperative venture, it is unlike a coop in many ways. Principally, there are some single Quinta wines (wines from only one estate). Not all quintas produce their own wine and only 4 or 5 are chosen each year (Dirk Niepoort who helped start the project is highly involved in this). Also, blended wines are made by a strict selection of grapes from different quintas under the label Tres Bagos.

The idea behind this novel project is to take advantage of the climatic and terroir advantages that each of the three Douro sub-regions has to offer. Some of the wines are made from only one of these zones, while some are produced from all three. The Douro Superior tends to produce wines of greater strength while the Cima Corgo and Baixo Corgo tends to produce wines with higher levels of natural acidity and elegance.