Quinta do Vale Meao: Monte Meao Vinha dos Novos Touriga 2019

Weingut über: Monte Meao Vinha dos Novos Touriga

-- Weingut: This vineyard, planted in 1996, with the Touriga Nacional grape variety on granite land, has about 3.5 hectares. It owes its name to the fact that it is adjacent to the 'Adega dos Novos' which, in turn, is so named because it was built by D. Antónia Adelaide Ferreira after finding out that the Adega da Barca Velha, previously built, was not large enough to house all the Quinta's production. In the early years, we found that it produced a very distinctive wine, compared to the Tourigas planted in other types of soil. A small amount in the Meandro or Vale Meão blend completely changed the final style of these wines. We then came to the conclusion that, because it had a very distinct identity, it should be bottled without any mixture with other wines. Vinha dos Novos 2009 was our first wine bottled exclusively from a single plot. The 2019 winegrowing year was characterized by a very dry and cold climate. The beginning of November 2018 brought above average rainfall, but over the following months these values decreased, resulting in a dry but also colder than average winter. Spring started with high temperatures but in its late stages, it declined considerably, remaining low throughout the summer. This allowed good flowering conditions, thus bringing a very interesting yield potential. Due to the low temperatures during summer, the occurrence of cluster scald was practically non-existent. From the physiological point of view, the mild days and cool nights of August led to slow and balanced maturation, which minimized the usual water stress of the plants. A slower maturation led to a long harvest, with very selective picking of the different plots and grape varieties. The red grapes picking started on August 27 with the always precocious Tinta Barroca. The last grapes of the Quinta were harvested on October 10. Due to a much fresher year than usual, the 2019 wines will turn out to be fresh, elegant and with very balanced acidity. In 2019 the grapes were trodden by foot for four hours in granite lagares. After this process, they were transferred to wooden vats, where they fermented for about 10 days. The aging took place for 15 months in used 225 liter French oak barrels. Great lively colour. A very unique nose showing floral and citruses notes. In the mouth it keeps the floral profile and shows surprising softness. It has an extraordinary elegance, excellent acidity, with firm but elegant tannins.