Quinta do Vallado, Douro, 'Vallado' Tinto 2022

80% of the grapes for this wine originate from vines planted in the 1990s and 20% from old vines aged between 60 and 100 years. The vines are planted at altitudes ranging between 80 and 400 metres on south and west facing slopes which maximise exposure to the sun assisting the ripening potential of the grapes. The landscape is characterised by the terraces that make up the vineyards. The soils are made up of schist, a slate-like metamorphic rock which is rich in nutrients, and also offers useful water retention properties. The vines are pruned according to the Double Cordon system and are
harvested at optimal maturity.

The grapes were fermented in large stainless-steel tanks with selected Quinta do Vallado yeasts, lasting one week at controlled temperature varying between 23 and 25°C. 90% of the wine was aged for eight months in stainless steel tanks with mechanical pumping over. The remaining 10% was matured in used, 225-litre French oak barrels of third and fourth use, for 16 months, until final blending.

Quinta do Vallado was established in 1716 and is one of the oldest and most famous estates in the Douro Valley. It is located on the banks of the River Corgo, a tributary of
the River Douro, near the town of Peso da Régua. It was once the property of the legendary Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira and remains in the possession of her descendants João and Fransicsco to this day. For nearly 200 years, Quinta do Vallado produced fine Port marketed by the family business Casa Ferreira. During the early 1990s, Quinta do Vallado diversified and alongside their top-quality single estate Ports, it started producing dry red, white and rosé wines under its own brand. Simultaneously, the team began restructuring the vineyards, planting single varietal plots, breaking the tradition of multiple varieties being co-planted. Today, the Quinta has 10 hectares of old, low yielding vines planted between 1920s and 1950s, 55 hectares planted during the 1990s and following the acquisition of Quinta do Orgal in Douro Superior, 35 hectares of organic vineyard.

2022 was one of the hottest and driest years on record. A dry winter was followed by an anomalous spring, with very high temperatures and continued lower-than-average rainfall. May and July were the hottest months on record in mainland Portugal and the very dry and hot weather continued through August and September. The harvest was long and uneven, but wtih good production in the cooler areas of the Douro, such as Baixo-Corgo where Quinta do Vallado is located.