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Wine Description
The Story
The only thing better than our beautiful vineyards is our beautiful vineyards bottled as wine. This is a wine made to show off our greatest treasure: Quinta dos Canais. We make this wine in exactly the same way as our ‘declared’ Vintage Port. ‘Declared’ Vintage Ports are made in a year when all other producers make a Vintage Port from a blend of their best properties and it is officially ‘declared’ by the whole region. In between these years, the best properties are usually so good that they deserve to be bottled independently.
Our vineyards are spread across the mountainous north bank of the Douro River. The bend in the river forms a natural amphitheatre with an ideal south-facing aspect. It’s a great view and it’s great for the vines too, which can ripen perfectly in the hot summer sun.
Our vineyards are planted with many different grape varieties. There are two that are particularly special though. The Touriga Nacional gives our wines their rich, ripe, red fruit flavours, minty aromas and peppery tannins; while, the Touriga Franca, adds more elegance and the floral dimension. There are a lot of old vines at Canais too, which give a depth and complexity to the wine that can only be found in wines made from beautifully mature vineyards.
Vintage 2018
After an extended drought, rain finally came to the Douro in spring 2018 in such quantities that there was some damaging erosion. Following that, summer was hot, and yields were consequently low, but the classic varieties thrived in the heat, producing deep, intense, fragrant wines.
The 2018 Single Quinta Vintage Ports are the result of a rollercoaster growing season – with a prolonged winter drought, a deluge in spring, and heatwaves through the final ripening period. Despite the challenges, the 2018 wines are characterised by a well-defined acidity and marked freshness, reflecting the characteristics of specific parcels of vineyard within each estate. The star of the year was the late-maturing Touriga Franca, which excelled in the warm harvest, allowing each estate’s signature aromas to flourish.
