Lavradores de Feitoria – a Douro project that currently brings together 17 producers, including the company itself, owners of 20 farms spread across the best terroirs of Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo and Douro Superior – has come of age! This is an important milestone in human life, and it is even more so for this company with a high level of human awareness. Therefore, we must celebrate with joy and boldness the portrait of this 'Lavradores de Feitoria 18th Anniversary', the commemorative edition created especially for this occasion.
After the first special edition launched to mark Lavradores de Feitoria's 10th Anniversary, 'X' – a single-variety Tinto Cão from 2006 – now comes this 'Lavradores de Feitoria 18th Anniversary', the second in this limited collection, made from the same grape variety. This was harvested in 2016 from a vineyard over 45 years old, precisely on the same property: Quinta das Pias, in Cima Corgo.
About this 'Lavradores de Feitoria 18th Anniversary', the Director of Oenology Paulo Ruão reveals the following: “ For me, this is a different wine, unique, special, because it is a fruit of nature. Only under certain weather conditions do these Tinto Cão grapes reach this level of maturity, capable of producing a wine like this. It is not possible to obtain this quality every year. I am referring to the elegance and smoothness of the wine, with an excellent structure and a palate that is uncommon in the Douro region and, even less so, in the Tinto Cão grape variety. It is proof that from a region characterized by the production of very mature, full-bodied wines, with soft but present tannins and closed colors, and Vintage Ports, it is also possible to produce very elegant wines, equally complex and fine, with an open color, with an excellent capacity to develop in the bottle. This wine is proof of that! ”
A native grape variety from the oldest demarcated region in the world, this Tinto Cão expresses the excellence of the Douro terroir in the glass. “ We have been conducting winemaking trials with these grapes for a long time, with some very interesting results, which led us to this wine ”, reveals Paulo Ruão. Fermentation begins in a wine press, with stalks, and the wine is aged in new French oak barrels for 18 months. “ After that, only the most elegant barrels were selected to create the blend ”, he explains.
The 'Lavradores de Feitoria 18th Anniversary' is a red wine with a garnet red colour, with reddish nuances. On the nose it is very elegant, with a predominance of aromas of red fruits mixed with spices, as well as tobacco and coffee, the result of its aging in barrels. On the palate it is intense and very tasty, with aromatic notes of very ripe red fruits. It is elegant, the tannins are smooth and velvety, and are supported by a balanced acidity that makes it long and harmonious. The edition is limited to 700 bottles, only in the format magnum (1.5L), with a recommended RRP of €55.00.
TECHNICAL DATA SHEET:
Feitoria Farmers 18th Anniversary Red Cão red 2016 • DOC Douro
RRP: €55.00 • Bottles: 700 magnum • Alcohol: 14.5% • Total Acidity: 5.00 g//l • pH: 3.86
