Link:

View Supplier Site

2003 Quinta de Ventozelo Late Bottle Vintage Port

Varietal: Port

Region: Douro (Portugal), Portugal

Winery: Quinta de Ventozelo

Availability

Available in Vintages

Background

Named for the order of Cistercian monks who first cultivated the Douro region for grapes during the Middle Ages. Though the Quinta has been producing fruit for the Port industry for almost two centuries, only recently have the owners ventured into the field of wines under their own name.

The Quinta de Ventozelo - empresa Sociedade Agrícola e Comercial belongs, since the first semester of 1999, to the Spanish group Proinsa, which produces and exports Port and Douro wines. The property is located in an ideal place, the town of São João da Pesqueira, in the Cima Corgo, in the heart of the Demarcated Region of the Douro, on the left bank of the river. It is 30 kilometres away from Régua, 125 km from Oporto, and 250 from Salamanca.

This is one of the oldest quintas in the region, as well as one of the biggest and better located - In the files of the Quinta de Ventozelo there are documents describing the extension of the Quinta dating from 1806

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Deep ruby with plummy purple shades.
Nose: Black cherries, dark chocolate, vanilla and hints of mature wood.
Mouth: Dense, rich and firm with a great length of flavour.

Vinification

Fermentation takes place in traditional lagares at the Quinta. Grapes are foot-crushed, without de-stemming: grape skins and stems are mixed with the must to extract the maximum amount of aromas, colour and flavours. When the ideal residual sugar levels are achieved, the young wine is fortified by adding 100% natural grape brandy, stopping the alcoholic fermentation and preserving the grape natural sugars.

Maturation

Barrel-ageing: 4 to 6 years in casks (550 litres) made of native oak and chestnut tree.

Reviews

Rating: 89 points - Natalie Maclean, nataliemaclean.com - Best Dessert Wine (2003 vintage)
"Unlike regular LBV Ports, unfiltered (aka traditional) LBVs can continue to mature in the bottle for a few years after bottling. This one, for example, is delicious now, but would benefit further with 3-5 years of cellaring. Look for aromas of fig, dark chocolate and vanilla bean. Sweet yet with a good core of tannin too that supports further ageing. It may be enjoyed tonight with moderately intense blue cheeses. My note: Full-on, plummy-dark LBV with rich, unending flavours of spices, marzipan and fruitcake. Gorgeous! Pair with: blue cheese. "