2021 Wine & Soul Quinta da Manoella Red

Wine & Soul was founded in 2001 by Sandra Tavares da Silva (Quinta do Vale D. Maria and Quinta de Chocapalha) and her husband Jorge Borges (then Niepoort, now Passadouro). The name Wine & Soul was chosen because the winemakers put their heart and soul into making wines that symbolize their lives. They bought a vineyard with very old vines of 2 hectares in Vale de Mendiz next to Quinta do Noval. From the first harvest, the couple have become among the icons of the Douro and are praised nationally and internationally for the charm and character of their wines that represent the unique terroir of the Douro region. In 2009, the Quinta da Manoella couple inherited a fantastic estate with mainly very old vineyards that are oriented to the south.

The Quinta da Manoella Red is a great blend of 60% Touriga Nacional, 25% Touriga Franca, 10% Tinta Roriz and 5% Tinta Francisca from at least 40 year old vines that grow low to the ground as bushes (bushvines). Once the grapes are perfectly ripe it is time to harvest, the grapes are selected after which they are crushed in the traditional way with the feet in lagares (large concrete vats). By crushing the grapes with your feet, there is as much color as possible and less stiff tannins in the final wine because in this way few grape seeds are crushed that release these stiff tannins. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks followed by 16 months in used French oak barrels.

The result of this process is a beautiful example of what the Douro has to offer. The Quinta da Manoella Red gives a complex nose with intense black fruit, cassis, plums, dried herbs and an earthy undertone. Concentrated cherries in the mouth, slightly spicy, lively, elegant and very pleasant long aftertaste with beautiful supple tannins. A great wine to drink with red meat dishes, lamb and charcuterie or to keep in the cellar for a few more years.

90/100 Parker