Quinta Vale D. Maria Vinha da Francisca Douro Tinto 2011

The 2011 Vinha da Francisca (Quinta Vale d. Maria) is another new bottling from one of the Quinta’s parcels. This is the debut release. Its name references Cristiano’s daughter. The vineyard was just planted in 2004, the year of her 18th birthday. Other vines date only to 2007. It is an approximate blend of Sousao (50%), Touriga Franca (15%), Tinta Francisca (5%), Rufete (10%) and Touriga Nacional (20%), making it a rather unusual Douro blend. Fermented in tank, it was then aged in a mixture of new (65%) and one and two year old (35%) French oak barriques for 21 months. It is listed at 15% alcohol. Bright and focused – -a lot of the wines of this vintage seem to require those descriptors – this is better than I expected, frankly. It has a crisp, Burgundian feel once past the initial oak overlay, and a gripping, slightly astringent finish. Sousao tends to project acidity. Quite elegant in the mid-palate, it should be a perfect food wine, given its sunny disposition. Like most of the lineup here, it is unevolved and a bit disjointed, but it blossomed the next day, fleshing out in the glass surprisingly well and showing much better. I doubt it is quite as concentrated as the feeling of “fullness” made it seem to be, but it projected fine flavor on the finish and that fresh, lively feel. Give it some time to come around for best results. It is a nice success for a new bottling and it might yet deserve an uptick. There were 5,675 bottles produced, plus some large format bottles. Drink 2015-2026. - (Wine Advocate)

Aroma 香氣

Grape Variety 葡萄品種 Sousao 50%, Touriga Franca 15%,Tinta Francisca 5%,Rufete 10%, Touriga Nacional 20%

Rice Variety 酒米品種

Variety 品種

Cuisine 菜式

Food Pairings 食物配搭