Portas da Herdade Reserve

Description

TASTING NOTES
Intense ruby ​​color, intense and complex aroma with notes of black fruit, light vegetable, spices, and chocolate. In the mouth, it is voluminous and elegant, with good structure and concentration. Its ending is long, where the aromatic notes are confirmed.

2017 VINTAGE
The 2017 harvest took place very early, due to one of the hottest and driest years in recent decades. An exceptionally hot and dry winter was followed by a dry and cold spring. This climate during flowering helped to develop healthy grape clusters. Summer was once again marked by very hot days. For this reason, irrigation was necessary, having been implemented to control the vine’s stress level. The orientation of the leaves was safeguarded to guarantee the protection of the bunches from direct sunlight, in the hottest periods of the day. Harvesting at Herdade da Farizoa started on August 24, about two weeks earlier than the average for the past few years. The high temperatures recorded in this period also led to one of the shortest harvests in history, approximately three weeks.

VINIFICATION
The grapes were destemmed, but not crushed and they were left for 3 days in a cold maceration. Fermentation took place at 24oC with a daily reassembly. Malolactic fermentation took place in stainless steel vats. The lots that gave rise to this wine aged about 12 months in French oak barrels.