Day 3 – Tuesday

It was the third day of the 2021 FTLOP Port Harvest Tour, and we were preparing to head out to visit two adjacent Producers in Celeirós, which is a little North of Pinhão. Our first stop of the day was a visit to our old friends at Vieira de Sousa.

Vieira de Sousa

We have visited Viera de Sousa’s main Quinta, Quinta da Fonte, several times over the years, and have become friends with Winemaker Luisa Borges and her sister Maria Borges, Marketing & Sales Manager.

The Vieira de Sousa history is a great come-back story. The family has been producing Port Wine for five generations. Originally, the family was bottling their Ports under the Vieira de Sousa brand, but due to widespread damage from phylloxera and the ensuing economic hardship, their Grandfather José Ermelindo Vieira de Souza made the difficult decision to sell the brand. This allowed him to replant the family vineyards, and they began growing grapes and producing Ports again to age and sell in bulk to other companies.

In 2008, Luisa, with the assistance of her father António, began the effort to begin bottling their Ports again under their Vieira de Sousa brand. They were able to register their old brand Vieira de Sousa as previous “owner” of Vieira de Souza was no longer bottling with that name and ended up losing the registration of the brand.

The Quintas

Vieira de Sousa has four different Quintas.

Quinta da Fonte is in Celeirós and serves as the main Quinta for their white grapes and White Ports. The winery is located underneath the 17th Century family home, and there is an amazing chapel which adjoins the house. The chapel was built in 1710 in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and is opened to the public on the Feast Day of St. Francis. The Quinta also has several traditional stone lagars. In good Port wine years, they typically bring the grapes to Quinta da Fonte and foot-tread the grapes in the traditional manner. Otherwise, they will send the grapes to their new production facility in Sabrosa.

Quinta da Água Alta, on the Douro River near Pinhão, is their smallest winery. It was last used in 2010 due to its small size but is notable as the winery where some of the first wines of the reborn company were produced (the 2008 LBV and the 2009 Vintage Ports). Quinta da Agua Alta is, in reality, three vineyards combined together: Quinta da Agua Alta, and Quinta do Espinhal, and Quinta do Bom Dia (the highest in altitude, which has a schist stone lagar that dates back to 1646).

As a side note, the family were friends with the owners of Churchill, and between ~1980 and 1998, Vieira de Sousa sold both young and old wines in bulk to Churchill. Churchill produced a Port wine called Churchill Quinta da Agua Alta. Churchill purchased their own vineyards in 1999.

Quinta do Roncão Pequeno is located on the Douro River at the bottom of the Roncão Valley and features traditional schist stone wall. 

Quinta do Fojo Velho has been in the family for more than four generations.

In 2010, they opened a new, modern winery in the Industrial Area of Sabrosa to increase their production capacity (up to 20,000 liters in stainless steel tanks) and storage (up to 100,000 bottles of wine).

As we stood on the verranda of the family house looking out across the vineyard, Luisa pointed out some buildings in the distance and said that they were a Quinta that belonged to one of their cousins, who grows grapes and sells to one of the larger producers. She then pointed out the third Quinta that shares their plateau – Quinta do Portal, who we would be visiting a little later in the day.

The Wines

But now, it was time to taste some of the Vieira de Sousa wines and Ports.

 

2019 Vieira de Sousa Reserva Douro White – Bottled 10 months in used barrels. This wine was produced from grapes on the main property at Quinta da Fonte. The wine is pale yellow-white in color. It has crisp, fresh notes of tropical fruit, and some really nice acidity. There is a rich mouthfeel of apple and fresh pineapple, and the balanced acidity carries through on the finish.  N/R. 9/28/2021

2020 Vieira de Sousa Tinta Francisa Douro Red – This is a small production Douro red wine of the Touriga Francesca grape varietal. The whole grape clusters, from their vineyards are Quinta do Roncäo Pequeno, were foot trodden in small lagars to ensure that there was not too much extraction. The wine spent two months in barrel and then was moved to stainless steel tanks. Only 600 bottles were produced. Light purple in color with almost pink on the edges. Nose of green olives, floral notes, and noticeable tannins.  NR. 9/28/2021

2019 Vieira de Sousa Reserva Douro Red – Vibrant purple and color. Raspberry and red fruit on the nose. Noticeable tannins on the palate with red fruit underneath. Long finish with pomegranate and some cherry notes. 90 points. 9/28/2021

2017 Vieira de Sousa Grande Reserva Douro Red – Purple with fuchsia edges. Very nice nose of cherry and red fruit. Well-structured red, with balanced tannins and fruit. Extremely balanced, long finish with fantastic sour cherry notes. 94 points. 9/28/2021

 

Vieira de Sousa 10 Years Old Special Edition Semi-Dry White Port – This wine is really a 15-year-old White Port and has been in bottle for three to four years. The grapes used for this wine come from the family vineyards at Quinta da Fonte. Golden yellow in color. Tropical notes with some spices and almonds on the nose. The palate is fresh with some subtle hints of tropical fruits and with a rich, spirity finish. This semi-dry style is nice, but not the style I typically prefer. The lack of sweetness makes this wine seem a little out of balance with the acidity. Very long finish. 90 points. 9/28/2021

Vieira de Sousa 20 Years Old White Port – Deep, yellow-orange and color. This blend averages over 30 years in age and has notes of tropical fruits with some caramel and rich butterscotch on the nose. The smooth, rich flavor profile has nuts, some dried tropical fruits and some spices. The finish is long, with lively, but well-balanced acidity. 92 points. 9/28/2021

Vieira de Sousa 20 Years Old Tawny Port – Bright orange-yellow in color. Intense orange spice with vanilla, caramel, and some spirit on the nose. It has a rich, intense mouthful of orange, burnt sugar and some light acidity. The back end of the palate resolves into a smooth, balanced finish. 92 points. 9/28/2021

2012 Vieira de Sousa Late Bottled Vintage Port – Nose of fresh raspberries and red fruit. Smooth, fresh palate of red fruit with tannins popping up on the mid-palate. Well-balanced, long finish of boysenberry and cranberry. 93 points. 9/28/2021

2015 Vieira de Sousa Vintage Port – Dark purple in color with slight garnet on the edges. Cranberry, boysenberry, and brambleberry on the nose. Intense mouthfeel with tannins immediately present. On the mid-palate, the tannins give way slightly to some very nice sour cherry and raspberry notes. This is a full-bodied wine, and the tannins are just beginning to integrate with the fruit. I believe this is going to evolve into a very nice wine. Very long finish. 93 points. 9/28/2021

2016 Vieira de Sousa Vintage Port – Very dark purple in color. Floral and red fruit on the nose. The tannins are immediately noticeable on the entry, but they seem to be well on their way to integrating with the fruit. There is a slight bitterness on the mid-palate, but otherwise a very nice flavor profile. There is a nice long finish highlighted by subtle red fruits and some slight herbal notes. 92 points. 9/28/2021

We thanked Luisa and Maria for another wonderful visit and decided rather than load back up into the bus, we’d traverse across the vineyards to our next visit: Quinta do Portal.

 

Quinta do Portal

Quinta do Portal is a family-owned producer which makes Port wine, Douro wine, and an outstanding fortified Moscatel wine. We have visited this beautiful, modern property many times over the years, but it had been a while since our last visit. I was looking forward to seeing Pedro Branco, owner of Portal, again and tasting some of Portal’s newest wines and Ports. I didn’t know it at the time, but we would also have the chance to taste some old sentimental favorites of mine that they produce.

The Quintas

Quinto do Portal is one of four Quintas that the family owns.

Quinta do Portal, the company namesake, is a very modern production facility. It was originally named Quinta do Casal de Celeirós, and the Mansilha Branco family purchased it (and nearby Quinta do Confradeiro) from Sandeman in 1991. It’s a fifteen-hectare vineyard which is surrounded by an old, traditional schist wall and has the unique distinction (according to historical documents) to be one of the few vineyards that were not affected by the phylloxera blight that destroyed most of Europe’s vines. It was the first property in the Douro to allow women to tread grapes in the lagares. It also has a very comfortable hotel (Casa das Pipas) on the property as well as the Quinta do Portal restaurant by Milton Ferreira to support wine tourism.

Quinta dos Muros has been owned by the Mansilha family since the 1880’s and has been producing Port wine there for four generations. Until 1974, the Port wine produced from this vineyard was sold in bulk. It is home to the flagship Quinta dos Muros “M7” parcel of vines.  

Quinta do Confradeiro is primarily a white grape vineyard (77%), but some red varietals are planted there as well. The first harvest of this vineyard under the new brand was in 1991. In 2006, the vineyard was completely replanted.

Quinta da Abelheira is in the plateau south of the village of Favaios. It has been in the family hands since 1978, and its grapes were vinified in the traditional “lagares” of Quinta dos Muros until 1994, when we finally started working at the new Quinta do Portal winery. It has 17 hectares under vineyards where Moscatel is the most planted variety. At Abelheira Portal also has their experimental plots with some grapes not so common to the region. The altitude averages 550m with a maximum of 600m.

Quinta da Manuela is a 17 hectare property (11 hectare under vine) on the East slope of the Pinhão river valley. Adjacent to Quinta dos Muros, Portal started renting the Quinta in 2009 and they restructured the entire vineyard. They acquired it outright in 2017. They originally planted only Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz varietals, but in 2019 they planted a “field blend” vineyard with varietals sources from the vines of the M7 parcel at Quinta dos Muros. 

When we arrived, we were greeted by Pedro Branco, owner of Quinta do Portal, and his Winemaker Paulo Coutinho. Pedro took us on a tour of the beautiful, modern winery and led us up to the top of the building where there were beautiful 360-degree views of the surrounding vineyards and Quintas.

After the tour, we began our tasting of some of their Douro Whites, Douro Reds, Ports and Fortified Moscatel wines.

2019 Quinta do Portal Grand Reserva Douro White – Golden-white in color. There is a crisp mineral nose with white Peach and some wet slate. It has a crisp, rich mouthfeel with toasted notes, stone fruit, and extremely balanced tannins. Green apple, bright acidity, and nice balance on the long finish. 92 points. 9/28/2021

2019 Quinta dos Muros “M7” – 880 bottles produced. This wine is a field blend produced from the M7 plot at Quinta dos Muros, and the blend has over 29 different varieties. The vines average over 50 years of age. Extremely complex nose of tobacco leaf, dusty red cherry, and deep earthy notes. Rich, extremely balanced and complex mouthfeel with wonderful age and elegance, but with depth and complexity that is quite amazing. Red fruit, cherry, and some light spice on the palate. Very long finish. 94 points. 9/28/2021

2009 Quinta do Portal Auru Douro Red – This limited production wine is made from a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Francesa. It has a nose of red bramble fruit with some touches of slate. Massive tannins on the approach with red fruit underneath. This is a powerful wine but seems like it can use a little time to resolve the tannins and fruit. 92 points. 9/28/2021

2018 Quinta do Portal Vintage Port – Grapes for this Port come mostly from Quinta dos Muros and Quinta da Manuela. The color is a dark, impenetrable purple. Primary blueberry and dark plum on the nose. Surprisingly balanced on the palate. Dark fruit on the middle and tail end of the palate with the tannins reappearing on the long finish. 93 points. 9/28/2021

2018 Quinta dos Muros Vintage Port – Quinta dos Muros, located on the East slopes of the Pinhão river valley, is the oldest estate of the Mansilha family. This wine is opaque, dark purple in color. It shows primary fruit with some cherry and some light herbal notes along with a touch of spirit. Rich boysenberry and red currant on the palate, with pronounced tannins and a hint of spirit. Fine grained tannins on the very long finish. 92 points. 9/28/2021

2007 Quinta do Portal Moscatel Reserva – Bottled in 2021. Light orange-yellow in color. Tropical fruit with banana, papaya, and lemon zest on the nose. On the palate there are sweet, refreshing notes of grilled pineapple, passion fruit, and honey. There is a bright acidity that helps balance out the rich sweetness. Nice long finish with the sugars just edging out the acidity. 93 points. 9/28/2021

1996 Quinta do Portal Moscatel Reserva – Bottled in 2018. This fortified Moscatel wine was the first wine from the Douro with the Moscatel Reserva designation. A vibrant orange-amber in color. On the nose there is fresh baked tropical fruit compote. Great, balanced acidity on the palate with navel orange, green apple, and a hint of roasted almonds. Very long, rich finish. 94 points. 9/28/2021

2004 Quinta do Portal Colheita Port – Cask sample (Cask 2031). There is old oak wood, caramel, and roasted nuts on the nose. It has a rich intensity on the palate with some residual red fruit and very nice notes of caramel and vanilla. The acidity is lively and pleasant. Long, balanced finish. 92 points. 9/28/2021

 

2000 Quinta do Portal Colheita Port – Cask sample (Cask 1564). Amber-orange in color. Very nice notes of hazelnut, toffee, and light orange spice on the nose. The palate is well-integrated with a very rich flavor profile and very nice acidity. The palate shows Christmas spices, toasted nuts, and dried citrus fruit. It has a great, long finish that shows notes of roasted nuts and caramel. 94 points. 9/28/2021

Quinta do Portal 50 Years Old Tawny Port – Cask sample (Cask 1353). This wine was blended in 2018. Brown-orange with yellow on the edge. Rich molasses, salted caramel, espresso, dried fruit, and wood notes on the nose. On the palate I noted complex chocolate notes (swirls of dark chocolate and then sweet cocoa powder), and some high-toned petrol notes similar to a Riesling. Rich complexity. The finish was smooth, with mocha, molasses, brown sugar, and exceptionally balanced acidity. Wow! 97 points. 9/28/2021

Quinta do Portal Vinha Velha Port – Date unknown. This wine was bought from a small producer with no records. It was first purchased in barrel, although the wine was apparently not reacting well when they moved it into their own barrels. They then moved the wine into glass demi-johns (this was #5 of 7) in 2014. This wine probably has some muscatel grapes in it. It is dark mahogany in color. There is an intense nose of citrus with subtle cocoa powder and herbal notes underneath. The nose shows a good deal of age – they told us they believed that the wine was around 90 years old when acquired. I guessed it was about 100 years old based on the aromas, and that puts it in a similar timeframe. While the nose suggests a very old wine, the surprisingly lively acidity that you find on very old, well-aged tawnies show up here to back up the claim. There is an incredible intensity of sweet caramel, burnt sugar, and wonderful rich spices. Extremely long finish with intensity with waves of complex flavors. 96 points. 9/28/2021

 

 

Dinner at Quinta do Portal

After the wonderful tasting, we headed to Quinta do Portal’s excellent restaurant where Executive Chef Milton Ferreira (who we first met at the restaurant here 15 years ago!) prepared a fantastic meal for us.

Dinner Wines

• 2020 Portal Rose – N/R. 9/28/2021
• 2017 Portal Unlocked Douro White – N/R. 9/28/2021
• 2003 Portal Grand Reserva Douro Red – N/R. 9/28/2021

Quinta do Portal 10 Years Old White Port – Golden amber in color. Fresh tropical fruits and floral notes on the nose. There is an interesting mix of honey and ginger on the palate. The acidity is bright, and it has a refreshing, long finish. floral notes on the finish. 90. 9/28/2021

2003 Quinta do Portal + Vintage Port – Dark ruby-purple in color with dark fruit, violets, and a touch of mocha powder on the nose. Rich blackberry, dark cherry, and boysenberry on the palate. I was worried about this wine’s longevity, as this wine seemed like it was blended to be consumed early in its life, but I am pleasantly surprised at how well the structure and tannins have helped this wine age gracefully. 92 points. 9/28/2021

1999 Quinta do Portal Vintage Port – This is one of my favorite Vintage Ports from Portal. In an “off” year, they managed to produce a wine that not only has great structure and staying power but is also very easy to drink. Black currant and boysenberry on the nose, with dark fruit and luscious blackberry and blueberry on the palate. The structure is great, and the wine has good balance. Long finish. 92. 9/28/2021