In the year in which it celebrates its coming of age, Lavradores de Feitora (LF) is fulfilling its promise to launch a new harvest (from 2014) of its top-of-the-range red wine – 'Três Bagos Grande Escolha'. 2018 was also the year date chosen to relaunch an old harvest of this nectar: ten years old, it is time to go to the cellar and give light to the well-kept bottles of 'Três Bagos Grande Escolha 2008', which now wears the additional designation of “Estagio Prolongado”. Two splendid wine options from the Douro, well suited to the Christmas season.
Three Berries Great Choice
The essence of 'Três Bagos Grande Escolha' is based on a common factor: production only occurs in exceptional years and from grapes from an old vineyard, currently over 60 years old, whose blend of grape varieties allows for the production of an old-fashioned Douro wine. The ancestral process continues with foot treading and fermentation in traditional wine presses and oak vats. Although the best barrels are chosen, in terms of wood and type of toast, this does not guarantee that all the wine that ages there will be sent straight into a bottle of 'Três Bagos Grande Escolha': only the best are afforded this treat.
Continuing with the theme of “ageing”, the ‘ Três Bagos Grande Escolha red 2014 ’ was aged in new French oak barrels for 14 months, the time required – in this harvest – to be able to rest in the bottle, from which a balanced wine with enormous longevity will be born, as the producer seeks. It has a bright, bright and deep red colour. On the nose, it is a full and complex red, with good fruit, where blackberry and blackcurrant stand out. The wood is very well integrated, making the aroma rich and, at the same time, elegant. On the palate, it is very tasty, with notes of ripe red fruit and stands out for its velvety and elegant tannins. Very rich and concentrated, this red has a very persistent finish.
Three Berries Great Choice Extended Aging
To reverse the trend of consuming wines that were too young, each harvest in which Lavradores de Feitoria launched a 'Grande Escolha', it stored some bottles in its cellar, in perfect conditions of temperature, humidity, light and rest, which it later decided to relaunch as a special edition. It did so because it believed in the wines' potential for ageing. This is the second time that this category has left the cellar; the first was with the 'Três Bagos Grande Escolha red 2005'. This initiative has an educational component, as it puts wines of very different ages to the test, but which have the same profile as a starting point. Lavradores de Feitoria can thus demonstrate, in a practical way, how long-lasting these wines are.
The deep, intense red is just the beginning of this sensorial journey through a Douro with character. On the nose, this 'Três Bagos Grande Escolha Estágio Prolongado red 2008' reveals itself to be full and complex, denoting ripe fruit, reminiscent of blackberries and currants, as well as dried fruits, characteristics resulting from its evolution in the bottle. The wood is well integrated, making this an elegant and powerful wine. On the palate, it is very tasty and full-bodied. With present tannins, but very smooth and velvety. It is long, with a persistent finish and displays enormous longevity, due to its balance.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Three Bagos Grande Escolha red 2014 . DOC Douro
PVP: €35.00 • Alcohol: 15.0% • Total Acidity: 5.0 g/l • pH: 3.76
Three Bagos Grande Escolha “Extended Aging” red 2008 . DOC Douro
PVP: €60.00 • Alcohol: 14.0% • Total Acidity: 5.22 g/l • pH: 3.66
