Day 4 – Wednesday

Barão de Vilar

Barão de Vilar is technically a “newer” producer – having been officially established in 1996 – but the company and its owners have a long and rich pedigree and connection to some of the most iconic Port producers in the Douro Valley.

The family can trace its Portuguese presence in the wine trade to the 1600s, and the most recent incarnation of the family trade was the result of Fernando Luis van Zeller purchasing a small stock of wine and giving it to his sons Fernando and Álvaro in 1996.

The title of Barão de Vilar was first granted by the Queen of Portugal to the van Zeller’s ancestor Cristiano Nicolau Kopke in 1836, and the title remains in the van Zeller’s possession. It seemed a fitting name for their new Port wine venture.

The van Zeller family previously owned the legendary property Quinta do Noval, and  Fernando Luis van Zeller managed the property from 1963-1982. His son Álvaro (current winemaker at Barão de Vilar) started his winemaking career at Noval. The elder van Zeller sold Noval to AXA Millésimes in 1993, and after the van Zeller’s cleared the five-year non-compete window, they were able to being selling Ports.  In 2007, the company decided to expand into producing Douro wines as well.

In addition to the Barão de Vilar brand, they also ship Port wines under the Feuerheerd, Maynard, and Palmer brands as well.

We spent much of our visit with glass in hand, walking around the large warehouse and happily sampling wines from (it seemed) most of casks. As a result, I didn’t have much opportunity to write tasting notes on the wines we tried (with one exception below), so I’ve simply listed the rest of them here instead.

Barão de Vilar

• Barão de Vilar Lagrima White Port – Cask sample.
• 2018 Barão de Vilar Quinta da Saião Vintage Port – Cask sample. Touriga Nacional.
• 2018 Barão de Vilar Quinta da Saião Vintage Port – Cask sample. Touriga Nacional & Touriga Franca.
• 2018 Barão de Vilar Quinta da Saião Vintage Port – Cask sample. Alicante Bouschet, Sousão, & Tinta Francisca.
• 2018 Barão de Vilar Quinta da Saião Vintage Port – Cask sample. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Francisca, a little Alicante Bouschet, Sousão. This is basically a blend of the three previous barrels we tasted from.
• 2018 Barão de Vilar Late Bottled Vintage Port
• 2017 Barão de Vilar Vintage Port
• 2011 Barão de Vilar Colheita Port – Cask sample. Aged in cherry wood.
• 1989 Barão de Vilar White Colheita Port

Feuerheerd

• 2017 Feuerheerd Vintage Port

Maynard’s

• 2017 Maynard’s Organic Vintage Port – Cask sample. Organic Port produced from purchased grapes.
• 2017 Maynard’s Vintage Port – Cask sample.
• 1969 Maynard’s Colheita Port
• Maynard’s 10 Year Old Tawny Port
• Maynard’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port
• Maynard’s 10 Year Old White Port

Palmer

• 2017 Palmer Vintage Port – Cask sample.
• 2018 Palmer Late Bottled Vintage Port – Cask sample.
• Palmer 40 Year Old Tawny Port

Barão de Vilar VVV Tawny Port – Cask sample. Over 40 years old. Unctuous caramel and vanilla on the nose. Creamsicle with orange spice and beautiful, lively acidity. 94 points. 9/25/2019

Taberna da Julinha

After our tasting, we headed to Taberna da Julinha with Álvaro to have a great, traditional Portuguese lunch and to try some of his dry wines.

Lunch Wines

• 2106 Barão de Vilar Zom Douro Rose
• 2017 Barão de Vilar Zom Reserva Douro White
• Barão de Vilar Kaputt Palhete Douro White
• Barão de Vilar Kaputt Laranja Douro White
• 2015 Barão de Vilar Zom Reserva Douro Red

We said our goodbyes to Álvaro but instead of piling on the minibus or jumping on a train, we hopped into a boat for a pleasant Douro River cruise to our next destination – dinner at Quinta do Vallado.

Quinta do Vallado

We journeyed to Quinta do Vallado – a property that I have visited several times – primarily to eat at their excellent restaurant, but we took some time to greet our old friend Francisco Ferreira, who offered to take us on a quick tour before dinner.

Quinta do Vallado, owned by descendents of the legendary Dona Antonia Adelaide Ferreira, traces its history back to 1716. It is located near Peso da Régua. Historically, the Quinta sold its grapes primarily to Ferreira, but in 1993 they decided to have a go at producing their own Ports and wines. As they renovated the vineyards and move from “field blends” to “block planting,” they retained about 20 of the 70 hectares of vines of the old, traditional field blends (where multiple grape varietals are planted side-by-side).

We took a tour of the winery and production facilities, and I took a turn at using a macaca – a wooden tool used to push the cap of grape skins and seeds down into the fermenting wine, which helps to add color and some tannins to the wine. Trust me – it is hard work and I have great admiration for the workers who do this for hours at a time. 3 minutes was enough for me!

After our tour, we adjourned to the lovely restaurant dining room, where we were treated with a few great appetizers, and my two favorite Portuguese dishes in the whole wide world – Caldo Verde (a traditional green soup with potatoes, chorizo sausage, and kale) and Cabrito (roasted kid goat). Absolute heaven.

Dinner Wines

• 2018 Vallado Douro Red
• 2017 Vallado Reserve Douro Red
• 2011 Vallado Douro Red
• 2013 Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional Douro Red
• 2012 Quinta do Vallado Sousão Douro Red
• Quinta do Vallado 30 Year Old Tawny Port

Finally, we rounded off the night with an incredible taste of an amazing old Vallado Tawny Port

Quinta do Vallado Very Old Tawny Port – Over 140 year old tawny Port. Balsamic vinegar on the nose. Mocha, tobacco leaf, saline, and modernized notes on the entry, giving way to dark toffee and molasses. Incredible complexity and unctuous long finish. 97 points. 9/25/2019