Ferreira Dona Antonia 10 Year Old White Port
Founded in 1751, when the Port trade was dominated by British shippers, Ferreira is the oldest Portuguese Port house and remains the leader in the domestic market. It was under the leadership of Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, one of the formidable widows of the world of wine, that the company became the force it is today. Luís Sottomayor is at the winemaking helm and uses grapes from prime Douro vineyard sites and Ferreira’s flagship ‘Quinta do Porto’ to produce Ports characterised by an exuberant ripeness, exceptional concentration, weight and structure, yet wonderful balance.
The Rabigato, Gouveio, Códega and Malvasia Fina grapes are sourced from prime vineyard sites in the Cima Corgo and Baixo Corgo sub-regions of the Douro. The Douro is the largest mountainous vineyard area on earth and vines are planted on steep terraces sloping down to the Douro river, many of which are supported by ancient, UNESCO-world-heritage-protected dry stone walls. Given the steep gradients and the inaccessibility for machinery, vineyard operations and harvesting are carried out by hand. Soils in the Douro are composed of a dense, slate-like, metamorphic rock called schist. In the Douro, the schist fractures vertically, allowing the vine roots to delve deep to access water and nutrients to sustain them through the hot Douro summers. The poor quality of the soil means that the vines produce low yields - on average 1.5kg of grapes per vine - of intensely concentrated fruit, packed with flavour. The grapes destined for the 'Dóna Antónia' 10-Year-Old White Port are late harvested, further concentrating the intense flavours.
Upon arrival at the Quinta do Sairrão winery, the late-harvested grapes were destemmed and gently crushed. The skins were left in contact with the most throughout the fermentation, with multiple pump-overs. This resulted in an intensely aromatic port with a rich texture on the palate. The ferment was closely monitored to determine the ideal moment to halt the fermentation by fortifying with grape spirit, leaving some of the grapes’ natural sugars. The wines remained in the Douro until the spring following the harvest when they were transported downstream to the historic Ferreira cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia for oxidative ageing in oak barrels. The ‘Dona Antónia’ 10-Year-Old White Port is a carefully crafted blend of wines between 8 to 15 years of age.
Amber in colour with intense aromas of dried citrus peel, nuts, caramel and baking spices on the nose. On the palate, it perfectly marries oomph and elegance, with a linear acidity balancing the sweetness and carrying the intense and evolved flavours onto the lingering finish.
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