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Wine Description
The Story
Charme is a rare wine from the Douro, its elegance and complexity combined with the smooth tannins are unique in expressing old sheltered vineyards from Vale Mendiz in the heart of the Douro area in the Pinhão Valley. All the small details involving the production of Charme turn the final result very difficult to achieve. In the end, only the best barrels are chosen to be bottled as Charme.
Wine Information
2010 year was uncommonly wet during winter and early spring, with very strong rains during this few months, as a consequence we add high yields and strong diseases pressure in the vineyards, the maturation period was very hot and dry, but light rain in the first days of September help specially the older and high altitude vineyards to complete a more balanced maturation.
Harvest was done in the beginning of September. Fermentation, has usual for Charme, was done with all bunch in traditional stone lagares, foot trodden. After a short maceration, alcoholic and malolactic fermentations were finished in French oak barrels, where the wine was aged for 14 months. Bottling was done without any fining or filtration.
TASTING NOTES
Charme 2010 shows an bright light color, with very delicate and elegant aroma forest leafs and tobacco notes, with intense fruit character with cherry, raspberry and pine needles aromas, earthy notes of mushrooms and truffles and elegant notes of tea leaves. The palate is fresh and very intense, with strong presence of fresh fruit flavors, very elegant structure with velvety tannins. The mineral notes together with the great acidity are an important contribution for a wine with nerve, intense and persistent with very long lasting aftertaste.
Vintage 2010
After three very dry years in Douro, the winter of 2009-2010 saw an extraordinary change, with heavy rains of 100 mm or more recorded at Pinhão for each of six months in a row. The viticultural year progressed well until July and August when we had not one drop of rain. Temperatures in excess of 35ºC throughout most of August slowed the maturation cycle, as the vines cannot photosynthesise and mature the grapes properly in conditions of continued extreme heat. As a result the harvest began 5 days later than usual, but was conducted under mostly perfect conditions with a few welcome light showers in early September and only one overnight rainfall in early October.
