Red Wine

Meandro

Do Vale Meão 2022, 75cl

Douro

Meandro

The 2022 harvest was marked by an atypical year, with a hot and dry winter, spring, and summer, and precipitation well below average (-57%). Water scarcity was the main challenge, but it also prevented the development of vine diseases, ensuring good phytosanitary quality. Despite a slight initial delay in the vegetative cycle, ripening recovered quickly, requiring strict monitoring. The harvest took place between August 17 and September 23, with a surprisingly positive yield despite the challenging weather conditions.

Vinification: 45% Touriga Nacional, 38% Touriga Franca, 10% Tinta Roriz, 3% Tinta Barroca, 2% Alicante Bouschet. After crushing, the grapes undergo a thermal shock followed by four hours of foot treading in granite lagares. The must is then transferred to small-capacity fermentation tanks with temperature control. The grape varieties are vinified separately, both in granite lagares and fermentation tanks. The wine is aged in 225L French Allier oak barrels of second and third use.

Awards

91+/ 100 – Robert Parker (2021)
90/ 100 – Wine Spectator (2021)
91/ 100 – Wine Enthusiast (2020)
91/ 100 – James Suckling (2020)
16,5/ 20 – Jancis Robinson (2020)

Allergens information

Contains sulphites.

Quinta do Vale Meão

In 1877, Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, owner of the largest winemaking estate in the Douro, purchased 300 hectares of virgin land at auction from the Vila Nova de Foz Côa municipality. Her dream was to create a model vineyard from nothing, using for this the vast experience she had acquired throughout a lifetime as a Douro landowner. This ambitious project took eight years to complete, from 1887 to 1895. Sadly, this grand lady’s pleasure in her last and most significant enterprise was of short duration as she died in 1896.

Since then, the estate always remained in the hands of her descendants. In the 1970s, her great-great-great-grandson, Francisco Javier de Olazabal became responsible for its management and he began the long and laborious process of acquiring the shares that belonged to his kin and to other co-owners of the property. In 1994, he and his children became the sole owners of the Quinta. Until then, the grapes from the estate were sold to A.A. Ferreira S.A., the company established by Dona Antónia’s descendants, where they formed the basis of some its finest wines. This connection continued until 1998 when Francisco Javier de Olazabal resigned as Managing Director of A.A. Ferreira S.A. to dedicate himself, together with his oenologist son Francisco de Olazabal y Nicolau de Almeida, to producing, ageing and marketing the wines from the Quinta through a new company, F. Olazabal & Filhos Lda.

Address

F. Olazabal & Filhos, Lda.

Quinta do Vale Meão
5150-501 Vila Nova de Foz Côa
Portugal

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