Day 4 – Wednesday

We were almost halfway through the 2015 FTLOP Port Harvest Tour, and had already tasted so many great wines, visited so many great properties, and had so many remarkable experiences that I wasn’t sure how the remainder of the tour could get any better. Yet, as always happens every single year on this tour, when you think it can’t get any better, it does.

Quinta do Vallado

After breakfast, we set out for a property that I hadn’t been to in a long time: Quinta do Vallado.

Quinta do Vallado’s property dates back to 1716, and is located on the Corgo River, a tributary of the Douro River, near Peso da Régua. The property is steeped in history, having been owned by Dona Antonia Adelaide Ferreira in the 19th century. Her descendants run Quinta do Vallado to this day.

Quinta do Vallado has undergone dramatic changes in the last two decades. In the past, the grapes grown at Quinta do Vallado were mostly sold to the producer A.A. Ferreira S.A., but in 1993, the owners decided that they would begin producing their own wines. At the same time, Quinta do Vallado began to restructure their vineyards, moving from the more traditional “field blend” vineyards that contained a mix of grape varietals to more “block planting” of single grape varietals. They now have 50 hectares of block-planted vineyards, and they kept the best 20 hectares of old field blend vineyards, some of which are more than 90 years old.

In the fall of 2009, Quinta do Vallado also completed the modernization of their winery and warehouse. Finally, in 2012, they completed the expansion of their wine hotel, bringing the number of guest rooms up to 13.

We arrived at Quinta do Vallado, and were warmly greeted by Francisco Ferreira, Quinta do Vallado’s Winemaker, and our host for the day.

We started our visit by taking a tour of the vineyards. As we walked among the vines, Francisco gave us a great overview of the different exposures and soils that help make Quinta do Vallado’s grapes, and wines so impressive.

After our tour of Quinta do Vallado’s vineyards, Francisco led us up to the top of a hill overlooking the river and the vineyards, where an ancient, lichen-covered stone table sat under a small group of trees. Apparently, we were going to start our tasting of Quinta do Vallado’s wines in one of the most picturesque, open-air “tasting rooms” I’ve ever been in.

We began our outdoor tasting with some exceptional Quinta do Vallado Tawny Ports, tasting the full range of the declared category of aged tawnies (10, 20, 30 & 40 years old), as well as sampling a stellar Tawny Port cask sample with over 70 years of age.

Quinta do Vallado 10 Year Old Tawny Port – Bottled in 2015. Mixture of 10 different wines. Amber in color. Fresh nose of cigar box and nuts. Caramel and a touch of orange rind on the palate. Complex flavor profile with great acidity. 90 points. 9/30/2015

Quinta do Vallado 20 Year Old Tawny Port – Bottled in 2014. Blend of 4 different wines.  Orange-brown in color. Herbal and woody notes on the nose. Full body. Espresso bean and honey notes on the palate. Balanced mid-palate with very long finish, highlighted by bright acidity. 89 points. 9/30/2015

Quinta do Vallado 30 Year Old Tawny Port – Bottled in 2015. Orange in color with amber center. Brown sugar and toffee on the nose. Some 70 years old wine was mixed into this wine (~2%). Wonderful complexity and concentration. Hazelnut and a touch of cinnamon. Great acidity, with a very long finish. 93 points. 9/30/2015

Quinta do Vallado 40 Year Old Tawny Port – Bottled in 2015. Dark amber in color, trending to brick. Wood and nuts on the nose, with some herbal notes as well. Intense orange marmalade and nutmeg. Bright acidity and extremely full body, with a long finish. A touch a spirit on the finish. 91 points. 9/30/2015

Quinta do Vallado 70 Year Old Very Old Tawny Port – Might be a single harvest, but probably blended. Red brick color with amber on the edges. Cocoa powder, antique wood, some iodine and VA / Madeira notes on the nose. Syrupy consistency with great viscosity. Amazing acidity, with concentrated, saline unctuousness. Extremely long finish with wave of caramel and orange. 96 points. 9/30/2015

After the wonderful Tawny Port tasting in the vineyard, we headed back to the Quinta for lunch on their picturesque terrace.

Quinta do Vallado has been on a successful run of awards in recent years, including major awards for their agricultural practices, wine tourism, and especially for many of their dry wines, some of which were to be served with our lunch.

Note: As mentioned earlier, during meals, I usually will simply list out the wines that we had during our meal. I typically do not write tasting notes for these wines, unless they are Port wines.

2014 Quinta do Vallado Reserva Douro Red – N/R. 9/30/2015

2014 Vallado Prima Douro White Wine – N/R. 9/30/2015

2014 Vallado Douro White Wine – N/R. 9/30/2015

2012 Vallado Douro Red Wine – N/R. 9/30/2015

2013 Quinta do Vallado Douro Red Sousao – N/R. 9/30/2015

2012 Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional Douro Red – N/R. 9/30/2015

2012 Quinta do Vallado Reserva Field Blend – N/R. 9/30/2015

Quinta do Vallado 100 Year Old Very Very Old Tawny Port – Coffee color with orange on the edges. Complex notes of mahogany and prune on the nose. Incredible maple on the palate. Intense mouthfeel with bright acidity on the long, unctuous finish. 96 points. 9/30/2015

2009 Vallado Adelaide Vintage Port – Dark purple in color. Primary grape on the nose. Blueberry and some licorice, along with cassis on the palate. Firm tannins on the mid-palate and well-balanced finish. 89 points. 9/30/2015

After our wonderful lunch, we said our goodbyes to Francisco and Quinta do Vallado, and continued our journey on our tour.

Quinta da Devesa

Our next stop was a property that I had never been to, Quinta da Devesa. I am always amazed how Roy can continue to find new places and experiences for the tours, especially for someone like me who has been accompanying him on these tours for 10 years. Yet, the itinerary always seems to have something new and exciting, even for us “veterans.” Quinta da Devesa was no exception.

We arrived and were greeted by João Macedo Cunha, whose family has owned the property since 1941. Quinta da Devesa is located about 10 miles from Peso da Régua, and it commands a picturesque view of the intersection of the Douro and Corgo Rivers. It has 34 hectares of vineyards, which have well-suited sun exposure, elevations from 60 to 500 meters, and gentle winds from their proximity to the Marão mountain range.   

After our introductions, we walked up into the vineyards to see the vines, and the amazing views.

Quinta da Devesa produces a range of wines, but are perhaps best known for their aged Tawny Ports, and their deep stocks of Tawny Ports in their cellars. As we would soon discover, we would be tasting quite a few of their old Tawny Ports directly from the casks.

As we entered the cellar, it was interesting to see the variety of ancient barrels of all sizes. This isn’t exactly unusual with smaller producers – most of the barrels are very old, and their age and history are usually more important than their uniform size. The different sizes also allow the winemaker to experiment with adjusting the amount of exposure the wine has to the wood by aging the different wines in different size barrels.

Quinta da Devesa 20 Year Old White Port – Golden straw in color. Honey and tropical fruit on the nose. Banana and some pear on the palate. Fresh acidity and balanced tannins on the long, smooth finish. 89 points. 9/30/2015

Quinta da Devesa 30 Year Old White Port – Pale straw in color. Somewhat suppressed nose with hints of tropical fruit, but hard to decipher at this point. Salted caramel and a touch of honey. Unctuous, filling mouthfeel. Full-bodied on the palate. Some sweet notes and bright acidity on the finish. 91 points. 9/30/2015

1970 Quinta da Devesa White Colheita Port – Cask sample. Brownish green in color. Nuts and old wood on the nose, with a touch of VA. Unctuous, concentrated orange peel. Acidity is nice on the mid-palate with some bitter almond on the finish. 93 points. 9/30/2015

1976 Quinta da Devesa Colheita Port – Cask sample. A hint of varnish on the subdued nose. Unctuous approach with good tannins and acidity. Subtle maple flavor on the palate. Medium-light body. 88 points. 9/30/2015

 1967 Quinta da Devesa White Colheita Port – Cask sample. VA on the nose. Candied orange peel on the palate. Great, evolving flavors on the mid-palate of caramel and nuts. Well-balanced with good acidity. A little clipped on the finish. 91 points. 9/30/2015

1969 Quinta da Devesa Colheita Port – Cask sample. Orange peel and caramel on the palate. Good acidity. Some bitterness on the medium-long finish. 93 points. 9/30/2015

1944 Quinta da Devesa Colheita Port – Cask sample. Amber-orange in color. Toffee with some maderized notes on the slightly subdued nose. Concentrated honey with a touch a cinnamon on the full-bodied palate. Long finish with nice balance and acidity. 94 points. 9/30/2015

2014 Quinta da Devesa “Tawny” Port – Cask Sample. N/R. 9/30/2015

Quinta da Devesa “Special Blend” – Blend of Ports including the 1951 Colheita. N/R. 9/30/2015

1951 Quinta da Devesa Colheita – Cask sample. N/R. 9/30/2015

After the extensive tasting in the cellars, we adjourned to the patio to enjoy a wonderful dinner – with some great dry wines – to wrap up the first FTLOP visit to Quinta da Devesa. It was a really enjoyable visit with a beautiful property, gracious hosts, and some great old Tawny Ports!

2009 Quinta da Devesa Tinto Reserva Douro Red Wine – N/R. 9/30/2015

2013 Quinta da Devesa Branco Douro White Wine – N/R. 9/30/2015

2010 Quinta da Devesa Tinto Douro Red Wine – N/R. 9/30/2015