Red Wine

Quinta do Vale Meão

2021, 75cl

Douro

Quinta do Vale Meão

It was a relatively quiet wine-growing year compared to previous years, although it was marked by very localised hailstorms. Quinta do Vale Meão’s vineyards were not harmed in any way by this event. The winter wasn’t very rainy (171.4mm), a situation that also occurred in the spring (107.4mm) and summer (93.6mm). Temperatures were normal for the respective seasons. This meant that at the start of the harvest, the vines were generally in good shape in terms of foliage, green, vivid and with bunches in excellent phytosanitary condition. These weather conditions meant that ripening was constant throughout the harvest. Mildew and powdery mildew had no significant impact on production. The proof of this was the 17 per cent increase in production compared to 2020. The harvest began on 19 August and ended on 27 September. It was an extraordinary year for the white wines, which are very aromatic, with vibrant acidity combined with excellent volume on the palate. The red wines are very well balanced with good structure and concentration.

After crushing, the grapes undergo a thermal shock followed by foot treading for four hours in granite presses. The must is transferred to small, temperature-controlled vinification vats. In this harvest, 10 per cent of the wines were fermented with the stems. The grape varieties are vinified separately. The final blend is made before bottling.

The final blend is made before bottling. The wine is aged in 225-litre French oak barrels (45% new and 55% second year).

Awards

Harvest 2020 – 100 points, Wine Enthusiast 2023
Harvest 2019 – 96 points, Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 2022
2018 vintage – 99 points, James Suckling 2021

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