Ferreira 'Dona Antónia' 20 Year Old Tawny Port
The grapes for the Ferreira 'Dona Antónia' 20 Year Old Tawny Port are sourced from prime vineyard sites in the Cima Corgo and Baixo Corgo sub-regions of the Douro. The Douro is the largest mountainous vineyard area on earth and vines are planted on steep terraces sloping down to the Douro river, many of which are supported by ancient, UNESCO-world-heritage-protected dry stone walls. Given the steep gradients and the inaccessibility for machinery, vineyard operations and harvesting are carried out by hand. Soils in the Douro are composed of a dense, slate-like, metamorphic rock called schist. In the Douro, the schist fractures vertically, allowing the vine roots to delve deep to access water and nutrients to sustain them through the hot Douro summers. The poor quality of the soil means that the vines produce low yields - on average 1.5kg of grapes per vine - of intensely concentrated fruit, packed with flavour and able to stand up to decades of oxidative ageing. Upon arrival at the Quinta do Seixo winery, the grapes were destemmed and gently crushed. Fermentation took place in stainless-steel vats with vigorous punch downs to extract the ideal levels of colour, flavour and tannin before fortification. The ferment was closely monitored to determine the ideal moment to halt the fermentation by fortifying with grape spirit, leaving some of the grapes’ natural sugars. The wines remained in the Douro until the spring following the harvest when they were transported downstream to the historic Ferreira cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia for oxidative ageing in oak barrels. The 20-Year-Old Tawny is a carefully crafted blend of wines between 15 to 40 years of age. Pale tawny in colour. The nose is brimming with evolved flavours of dried figs and apricots, roasted hazelnuts, baking spice and toffee. A wine of great elegance, there is a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity on the palate and the complex flavours develop on the exceptionally long finish.
