Lavradores de Feitoria has the 'Três Bagos Grande Escolha red' as its “darling” wine... or maybe not, this is the top of the range produced by this Douro wine company, which stands out from the rest by bringing together, in the vineyard and wine, fifteen producers and twenty estates (one of which is owned by the company itself), spread across the three sub-regions of the Douro. In the year in which it celebrates its 15th anniversary, Lavradores de Feitoria has decided to invest in a new philosophy for this nectar, which will now reach the market at two different times: one, younger, for those who like young wines, and due to market demand; and another, when the wine is at its peak.
The first vintage to be relaunched under this philosophy was 2005, and this was the fifth vintage produced by Lavradores de Feitoria for this reference: the ones from 2000 (the year the company was founded) were 2001, 2003, 2004, and the ones from 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 followed. The last two have not yet reached the market, although they have already been “put to the test” by experts and critics and have shown good performance.
Olga Martins, CEO and Commercial Director, acknowledges that “the aging period – in bottles at Lavradores de Feitoria – for the relaunch of ‘Três Bagos Grande Escolha red’ is not necessarily ten years, as is the case with the 2005 harvest. It will always be the wine – and our oenology team! – that dictates the “ideal” length of aging”. “Estagio Prolongado” is the name that will be added to the bottles: next to the label in the form of a stencil.
The 'Três Bagos Grande Escolha “Estagio Prolongado” red 2005' is a powerful and elegant Douro red, produced with grapes from Old Vines – over 60 years old –, in the old-fashioned way, with foot-treading and fermentation in granite presses and oak vats, followed by ageing in new French oak barrels. This 'Grande Escolha' of “Estagio Prolongado” displays a bright, intense and deep red colour. Paulo Ruão, Director of Oenology, describes it on the nose as intense and exuberant; it presents a very rich and complex set of aromas, highlighting fresh fruit, enveloped by spices and smoky notes, created by its evolution. On the palate, it is rich, tasty and very balanced. Quite fresh and fruity, it presents smooth tannins of great quality and excellent acidity. This balanced combination of power and elegance contributed to its perfect evolution, complexity and persistence in the finish.
With a RRP of €60.00, there are only 1000 bottles that Lavradores de Feitoria will release onto the market – nationally and internationally – from mid-March.
