Winemaker Notes
Deep red color with dense violet tones. Intense and elegant aromas dominated by ripe black fruits such as blackberries, prune and cassis alongside aromas of rock-rose, resin and cedar. Tertiary aromas from its age and maturity contribute to its aromatic complexity. Full-bodied with great structure, well balanced acidity, with firm, ripe and well integrated tannins.
Blend: 40% Touriga Nacional, 40% Touriga Franca, 10% Tinto Cão, 10% Sousão
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Late Bottled Vintage Port, a traditional LBV (unfiltered and closed with a long cork), is a field blend from very old vines (100 years or so) of mostly Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca (about 80% of the blend). It was bottled in May 2022 after 24 months in old pipas, then in stainless steel thereafter, and comes in with 110 grams per liter of residual sugar. There is no Vintage Port this year. This is all there is, and it is a pretty good imitation. A little sweet around the edges, this is also powerful and concentrated, the Vintage Port in disguise. Beautifully done, this is a serious LBV that busts through a lot of what the category delivers. There's quite a finish too, long and intense. It could use a little cellaring and it will age well.
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Wine Spectator
This is delightful, with a mix of succulent blackberry, boysenberry and black cherry compote notes that show freshness and energy from start to finish. A sleek graphite edge provides the spine as violet, anise and apple wood fill in liberally throughout. Delicious and engaging. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Sousao and Tinto Cao. Drink now through 2032. 907 cases made, 150 cases imported.
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James Suckling
A Port with ripe aromas of prunes and tar with charcoal undertones. The palate is chewy and plush, with massive concentration and integrated sweetness. This still needs at least four years to soften.
The name Duorum, which is Latin for "from two," captures the spirit of this renowned Portguese winery. The perfect union of unparalleled talent and unique terroir, Duorum is widely recognized as a gold standard for Portuguese wines. With over three generations of history between their families, internationally acclaimed oenologists João Portugal Ramos and José Soares Franco both graduated from El Instituto Superior de Agronomia (Higher Institute of Agronomy) in 1977.
In the thirty years that followed, João and José have left an indelible mark on the industry, both domestically and internationally. Seeking to combine their superior skills and passion for winemaking, João Portugal Ramos and José Maria Soares Franco founded Duorum in 2007. By combining the best qualities of the Douro & Alentejo, two of Portugal’s most celebrated wine regions, Duorum has consistently produced wines of exceptional style and quality.
Port is a sweet, fortified wine with numerous styles: Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), White, Colheita, and a few unusual others. It is blended from from the most important red grapes of the Douro Valley, based primarily on Touriga Nacional with over 80 other varieties approved for use. Most Ports are best served slightly chilled at around 55-65°F. To learn more, see our full Port Wine Guide
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.