Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Pombal do Vesúvio (Quinta do Vesúvio) is a 60/35 blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, with a dollop of Tinta Amarela, aged for 11 months in second use French oak. This, the property's second wine, is rather terrific for the level in this tough year. (This is a Quinta in Douro Superior, where most seem to say that the results seem better.) Energetic and a bit tightly wound when seen, this was showing plenty of power and focus, while the fruit remained lifted. There is plenty of finesse to go with good concentration here. I haven't found power to the be the problem in 2014, though. The question is more typically "how's the fruit?" It seemed gloriously open when first tasted, fresh, pure and transparent with a trace of minerality. It is a bit more closed after travel to the USA now, but it still seems to have fine intensity of flavor in this year. The juicy finish is impressively delicious. This is a rather fine performance in the vintage for a second label. At the moment, as with its big brother, it is looking like one of my favorites in the brand. While I sometimes question how well these 2014s will age, worrying that the fruit will fall off too quickly, right at the moment and right here, there doesn't seem to be much problem.
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Wine Enthusiast
The second wine of this legendary Douro estate is rich and full bodied. It has dark tannins along with generous red-berry fruits and juicy acidity. It will develop into a full, while accessible wine.
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Wine & Spirits
A floral and fragrant Douro red, this is the second wine of Vesuvio, the historic quinta developed by Dona Antónia de Ferreira on the left bank of the Douro, just upriver from the Cachão da Valeira. Now a property of the Symington family, it grew a firm, juicy wine with lean schist tannins that keep the rich fruit feeling svelte. For cabrito asado. Premium Port Wines, San Francisco, CA
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Wine Spectator
A ripe and fruity red, with flavors of dark plum, blackberry and cherry tart accented by notes of dark chocolate and Asian spice. The minerally finish is fresh and pure-tasting.
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.