Casa Ferreirinha, `Quinta da Leda` Douro Tinto

Founded in 1952, the inaugural vintage of Barca-Velha, Casa Ferreirinha pioneered the quality revolution of Douro still wines and remains the benchmark for the region.

The winemaking team is led by Luís Sottomayor, who trained under founding winemaker Fernando Nicolau de Almeida and continues his visionary legacy. Luís is in the process of passing the winemaking torch and the immense knowledge and expertise he has amassed over nearly 40 Douro vintages to Lourenço Charters. Young, dynamic and a Douro native, Lourenço will become only the fourth head winemaker in the history of Casa Ferreirinha.

Luís and Lourenço work with 600 hectares of sustainably farmed vineyards across the Douro, over half of which are above 400 metres elevation. Blending in a portion of grapes from higher sites has always been a key part of the winemaking philosophy to restrain the Douro’s natural exuberance and add signature lift and freshness to the wines. The beautiful Quinta da Leda, located close to the border with Spain in the far east of the Douro Superior, is Casa Ferreirinha’s flagship estate and home to the state-of-the-art winery. Fruit from Quinta da Leda forms the backbone of the top wines in the range, including Reserva Especial and Barca-Velha.

The care with which the team selects the fruit for each wine is especially evident in the quality of the whites. Casa Ferreirinha’s ‘Planalto’, from higher elevation vineyards, is fresh and vibrant. The unoaked ‘Papa Figos’ white, a blend of Rabigato, Viosinho, Gouveio, Arinto and Códega, is crisp and aromatic. Quinta do Sairrão, one of the coolest vineyard sites in the Cima Corgo, located at 600 metres above sea level, is the source of grapes for Casa Ferreirinha’s ‘Vinha Grande’ white and rosé. The white is partially fermented and aged for six months in new French oak barrels, creating a complex and textured wine with buttery richness from the oak. The ‘Vinha Grande’ rosé, made from 100% Touriga Nacional, boasts bright aromas of red berries with hints of violet and a lively acidity.

The Casa Ferreirinha reds are all characterised by great depth of flavour balanced by a vibrant acidity. They range from the unoaked, ripe and juicy ‘Esteva’ and ‘Papa Figos’ to the oak-aged ‘Vinha Grande’. Sourced exclusively from the Douro Superior, ‘Callabriga’ marries intense and concentrated aromas of red and black fruit with subtle spicy hints of tobacco box and cocoa. ‘Castas Escondidas’, meaning ‘hidden varieties’, is a unique blend of lesser-known grapes, including Bastardo, Marufo Tinto, Touriga Fêmea and Tinta Francisca. ‘Quinta da Leda’, a blend of Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão, Tinta Roriz and Sousão grown on the eponymous estate, is aged for 18 months in oak barrels, 50% of which are new. It is a wine of great complexity and elegance, with aromas of ripe blackberry and plum, subtle spicy notes, velvety tannins, a linear acidity and a slate-like minerality.

Two of Portugal’s most fabled wines, ‘Barca-Velha’ and ‘Reserva Especial’, are the jewels in Casa Ferreirinha’s crown. Only produced in outstanding years, Luís Sottomayor is scrupulous in declaring a vintage. The recently released ‘Reserva Especial’ 2017 is the 19th vintage to be declared since 1960 and sees the introduction of the semi-teinturier grape Sousão into the blend, prized for its strong colour and vibrant acidity. An exceptionally complex wine, with a core of black cherry fruit, melded with notes of cocoa, clove, pepper and forest floor, it marries power with elegance.