Quinta do Vesuvio - Douro doc 2011
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Item# 70972-11/6PK
Wine Spectator
93pt
Tasting Notes
Vibrant deep purple with fruit of great purity and freshness. Aromatic notes of lavender with a hint of camphor. Beautifully integrated wood. Weighty and tight, with tremendous structure. Taut but polished tannins. Concentrated on the palate with bold, expressive black-fruit flavors.
Vintage
2011 was an exceptional year in the Douro Valley. The 2010/2011 winter was wet, which built up the underground water reserves that are critical at each stage of the vine's growth cycle. The spring was very warm and dry. However, a relatively mild summer, with some rain in late August and early September, attenuated the effect of the drought and helped the vines to ripen their fruit perfectly. A period of good weather followed for almost two months, creating the ideal harvest conditions and leading to the prediction that great wines would be made that year
Vinification
The Vesuvio grapes are hand-picked into 45 lbs boxes. On arrival at the winery the bunches undergo an initial manual sorting followed by gentle de-stemming after which the berries are sorted before being gravity-fed into the small fermenting tanks. Fermentations are monitored and adjusted so that the best of each grape variety is obtained. The Vesuvio winemakers aim to produce a well-structured wine that is perfectly balanced, with long ageing potential. The Vesuvio wine is aged in 225 and 400 liter French oak barrels for 16 months prior to bottling. 75% of the barrels are new French oak.
