Van Zellers & Co
The 2014/2015 vinicultural year was characterized by being an atypical year in terms of climate, with a dry and cold winter and an unusually hot and dry spring and summer. In particular, the reduced rainfall throughout most of the vegetative cycle and the high temperatures recorded between June and July should be highlighted, due to their impact on the vines and the ripening of the grapes. This weather pattern caused an advance in the vegetative cycle of around 1 to 2 weeks, on average. In terms of vine health, cryptogram diseases (oidium and mildium) and insect pests had no significant impact. In comparison with the data of the previous decade, we can consider that 2015 was the year in which all production appeared in better health conditions. Maturation was very variable throughout the region, taking into account the location of the vineyards and/or the availability of water. In vineyards less exposed to stress or with higher water availability, there was earlier ripening (around 1 to 2 weeks) and harvest started in late August/early September. In lower altitude vineyards or those more exposed to heat, maturation occurred more slowly, forcing producers to wait for better alcohol and phenolic levels. However, the occurrence of a very important rainfall between 15 and 16 September, accompanied by lower temperatures, had a very positive impact on both production and quality, allowing a maturation that gradually evolved to perfection by the end of September/beginning of October.
This wine is made from over 25 different traditional Douro grape varieties, predominantly Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca, but also Rufete, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Francisca, Sousão.
The grapes were foot trodden before fermentation along with 10% of the total vinic brandy which is added to the Port at the end. This allowed us to macerate the grapes at cooler temperatures and for a longer period before fermentation. When the must reaches the desired residual sugar level, grape brandy is added to the must to stop fermentation. A little more treading ensures a good homogenization of the whole wine and fermentation is stopped. The must and brandy mixture remains in the press for a further two days, with light treading twice a day (10 minutes each time). After racking and pressing, the freshly made Port is then aged for between 36 and 48 months in old oak casks with a capacity of between 600 and 10,000 litres. The wines were then aged in very old wooden casks (over 100 years old) and small stainless steel vats until early August 2019 until the final blend.
Bottling took place in August 2019 in 2,133 750ml bottles.
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Allergens information
Contains sulphites.
SKU: 106757
