Vintage 2021
There was a smattering of declarations in 2021, a cooler year which saw the tail end of the Covid pandemic. Alongside Graham’s Stone Terraces and Noval, the wines are all single quinta. The wines are characterised by their freshness and purity of fruit and should be approachable quite early after 8 – 15 years. (See my earlier posting for Graham’s The Stone Terraces).
A wet winter and regular rainfall in the month of April fully replenished much needed water levels in the soil. An early flowering in May was followed by a very hot month of June, with some stormy periods and localised hail damage. July and August were mild and sunny, without the extreme heat or drought of recent years. Consequently the grapes did not raisinize. This permitted the even ripening. Harvest began early at the end of August. Some heavy rain in September caused picking to be suspended on a number of occasions and then resumed in sunny weather with mild temperatures that brought steady ripening all the way through to the end of the harvest in early-mid October.
Kopke, Quinta de S. Luíz ***
From Kopke’s flagship estate on the south bank of the Douro, mid-way between Régua and Pinhão: good, mid-deep crimson-purple hues; fine, open with a gentle airy, floral-graphite character on the nose showing even ripeness; beautifully fresh, mid-weight, well-defined berry fruit with ripe spicy tannins and a fresh linear finish. Not especially big or intense, showing well already and a lovely wine for the mid-term. Drink from 2028 – 2042 16.
Burmester, Quinta do Arnozelo ****
Located in the Douro Superior, once Cálem but now rebranded to Burmester: lovely mid-deep crimson-purple; richer and slightly more introverted on the nose, just hinting at dusty, hot country fruit; full, ripe morello cherry flavours, verging on opulent, backed by firm, ripe gravely tannins which linger on the finish. Fresh and well-balanced. This is a bit more of a keeper: drink 2030 - 2045 17
Quinta do Noval 2021 ****
Made from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz, trodden by foot in granite lagares: very deep, opaque crimson; open and scented on the nose with a slight green undertone, multi-layered showing considerable depth; lovely sappy-minty ripeness on the palate with broad, firm, fine-grained tannins mid-palate which persist on the finish. Not a big wine but balanced and showing considerable finesse. One for the future: 2035 – 2055 plus. 18
Quinta do Noval, Nacional ****/*****
From a legendary plot of ungrafted vines, rooted in the soil of the nation, hence ‘Nacional’, foot trodden in lagar and aged for 18 months in oak and chestnut wood vats, with a capacity of 2500 litres: very deep and opaque with almost inky intensity of colour; still quite introverted and sullen with underlying stony depth and kirsch-like intensity on the nose; immediately fills the mouth with beautifully defined, ripe cherry and plum fruit, bold structural gritty tannins which persist on a long vibrant and overwhelmingly fresh finish that goes on and on. Magnificent. For the long term: 2040 – 2070 plus. 18.5
