Quinta da Romaneira Reserva Red 2020
£47.25
The wine
Recognised for its intense fruit, remarkable volume and structure and a long, fruity finish, this is distinguished by the extraordinary complexity that Touriga Nacional and Touriga Francesa from the old vines provide when combined. It will improve greatly with cellar time but can also be enjoyed young in all its exuberance.
The Reserva is built on old-vine Touriga Nacional and Touriga Francesa, the latter being the Portuguese name for Touriga Franca, the most widely planted red in the Douro. Old vines crop little and ripen evenly, and the wine is given extended oak ageing. Among the most highly regarded Douro reds the estate makes.
The producer
Quinta da Romaneira
View all Quinta da Romaneira winesEstablished in 1757, Quinta da Romaneira is one of the largest single estates in the Douro: 412 hectares with three kilometres of river frontage, of which 86 are planted to vines.
The Douro was the world's first demarcated wine region, mapped and regulated in 1756, so the estate is almost exactly as old as the appellation itself. Its vineyards are cut into terraces on hillsides steep enough that mechanisation is impossible in much of the property, and the soil is schist, a layered rock that splits vertically and lets roots drive deep in search of water. That is what allows vines to survive summers in which the valley regularly exceeds forty degrees.
The many valleys and promontories of the estate give it a range of exposures and several distinct microclimates, which is why single-parcel wines like Liceiras and Mirante make sense here. Both Port and Douro table wine are made, and both are taken equally seriously, which was not always true of Douro estates. The table wines in particular have become some of the most admired in northern Portugal.
