Casa Ferreirinha Quinta Da Leda
The origins of Casa Ferreirinha date back to 1952, with the production of the first ever vintage of Barca-Velha. Fernando Nicolau de Almeida kickstarted the quality revolution in Douro still wines, with Casa Ferreirinha becoming the first producer in the region dedicated entirely to producing still wine, rather than Port. Named after the legendary Porto matriarch Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, one of the formidable widows of the world of wine, Casa Ferreirinha pays homage to the memory of this visionary woman.
The Casa Ferreirinha reds are all characterised by great depth of flavour. They range from the unoaked, ripe and juicy ‘Esteva’ and ‘Papa Figos’, to the oak-aged ‘Vinha Grande’ and ‘Callabriga’ which marry intense and concentrated aromas of red and black fruit with subtle spicy hints of tobacco box and cocoa. The ‘Quinta da Leda’, a blend of Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão, Tinta Roriz and Sousão grown on the eponymous estate, is aged for 18 months in oak barrels, 50% of which are new. It is a wine of great complexity and elegance, with velvety tannins, vibrant acidity and aromas of ripe blackberry and plum, cedary spicy notes and a subtle slate-like minerality. The ‘Castas Escondidas’, meaning ‘hidden varieties’, is an exciting red blend of some of the lesser-known grape varieties of the Douro Valley such as Bastardo, Marufo Tinto, Touriga Fêmea and Tinta Francisca along with 18% fruit from low-yielding, old, field-blend plots.
The 2020 vintage in the Douro got off to an unsettled start with a rainy spring causing an increase in disease pressure in the vineyards and a reduction in yields. The summer was dry and very hot and featured the hottest July in the last 30 years. This accelerated the growing cycle and required careful canopy management to avoid grape sunburn. Some rainfall in mid-August gave the vines the boost needed to undergo the final stages of ripening during the heat that continued in September. 2020 was one of the earliest harvests on record in the Douro and yields were down 30% compared to 2019, but the quality of the grapes harvested was excellent.
Upon arrival at the gravity-fed Quinta da Leda winery, hand harvested grapes from the estate were fully destemmed and gently crushed. Fermentation took place in stainless-steel tanks at controlled temperatures and the varieties were co-fermented. Malolactic fermentation took place in old oak barrels and the wines were then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, around 50% of which were new. After numerous tastings and analysis, the final blend was assembled by Luís Sottomayor and the winemaking team and aged for a further six months in barrel before being lightly filtered and bottled.
A wine of great intensity, complexity and elegance. On the nose, aromas of ripe red and black fruits combine with spicy notes of cedar and tobacco box and subtle floral notes of rose and violet. Full-bodied on the palate, with ripe and velvety tannins and a refreshing acidity which carries the complex flavours onto the lingering finish.
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