Contraste Douro Tinto 2014

CONCEITO

Contraste Douro Tinto
2014

  • Organic
Country
Portugal
Regulated designation
Denominação de origem controlada (DOC)
Region
Douro
Appellation
Douro
Varietal(s)
Tinta Roriz 25 %
Touriga Franca 50 %
Souzao 25 %
Alcohol percentage
13,3%
Colour
Red
Sugar
Dry
Sugar content
1.8 g/l
Aging vessel type
70% in used French oak barrels and 30% in stainless steel tank.
Length of aging
18 months
Producer's website
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About this winery

Conceito owner/winemaker Rita Ferreira Marques is a rising young star in Portugal’s Douro Valley. Rita began her university days pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, however the call of her family’s vineyards in the Eastern Douro Valley was too strong to resist and Rita switched concentrations to complete her degree in Oenology. Rita augmented her studies through internships with renowned wineries in Bordeaux, California, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Douro Valley. It...

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Product notes

Somewhat wet weather all year long, allowing for good water reserves in the soil. Summer was mild, with cool nights that drove the grapes to perfect maturation. A relatively early start of the harvest brought great fruit in, and then sporadic rains came, but with good open skies periods that allowed for strategic harvesting. Schistose soils. Made with grapes from 40 years old vines from Quinta do Cabido, and Quinta Chão do Pereiro.

Production notes

Grapes picked by hand in small boxes. Destemming, followed by crushing and pumping to stainless steel tank. Fermentation with controlled temperature, gentle pumping-overs, final maceration for one week. Malolactic fermentation in tank.

Press reviews

Wine Advocate

- 90 points -

Mark Squires, August 2019 (Vintage 2017)

The 2017 Contraste Tinto is a field blend mostly (80%) from 40-year-old vines with Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz comprising the last 20% combined (from 60-year-old vines). It was aged for 16 months in used French oak and comes in at 14% alcohol. Fresh, pointed and subtly concentrated, this is fruit forward, but it also shows good concentration and fine focus. In this big vintage, here is another red that seems fresh rather than jammy and overripe, a sign of how well producers handled strange conditions. There are ripe tannins for support and a lovely, dry finish. This is still a bit tight, but you can drink it now. It is worth leaning up for the moment, as the fruit is great—and that's the aim with this bottling these days. I'm less sure it will be this good for all of its useful life.

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