Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo Vinha Centenária Referência
WHY WE LOVE IT
- The first study for monovarietal planting in the Douro region was conducted in Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, between 1979 and 1981, in conjunction with the Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture, through the Centro de Estudos Vitivinícolas do Douro (Douro Winemaking Studies Centre). In the study, the best solar exposures were chosen in Quinta Nova to study the planting of three grape varieties: Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca.
- The Parcela 28 (Plot), planted with Tinta Roriz, consists of 2650 vines, with a slope of 25% and an altitude between 205 and 210 metres. Tinta Roriz clearly demonstrates the challenge of wine and human persistence in preserving an ancient and authentic Douro.
- The austerity of the grape variety is noticeable in the palate, but at the same time, we are seduced by a contemporary sophistication that, allied to a centuries-old vineyard gives rise to a Referência (Reference) in the Portuguese Douro.
Varietal Composition: 75% Tinta Roriz, 25% Centuries-old vines
Elaboration: Tinta Roriz clearly demonstrates the challenge of wine and human persistence in preserving an ancient and authentic Douro. From a nervous flowering, through extreme sensitivity to biological factors, to the phenolic maturation, not always homogeneous, this caste leaves the whole team with “butterflies in the stomach”.
The vineyard consists of schist soil in the Cima Corgo wine appellation. Harvested by hand and then 100% destemmed, Aged 12 months in new French oak.
Tasting Notes: A wine full of minerality, blue fruits, rich In spicy notes, with a very firm structure and a very narrow mouth. The high concentration, density and depth expresses well its origin.This wine was born in the harvest of 2008 and is the true reference of Tinta Roriz from Douro.
PRESS
2019 – 97 Wine Advocate | 95 Decanter
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
Since 1999, Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo has been owned and operated by the prominent Amorim family. The 120-hectare estate is located alongside the Douro River in northern Portugal about 55 straight-line miles due east of Porto. The Amorim family’s first link to the wine industry was as cork makers in the late 19th Century.
The estate was owned by the Portuguese Royal Family until 1725 and has been listed as a winery since 1756 when the Douro wine region was created. Now representing the family’s fourth generation, manager Luisa Amorim has a deep respect for the land’s cultural heritage and ancestral roots.