2011 Casa Ferreirinha Quinta da Leda
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Tasting notes
From magnum. 45% Touriga Franca, 40% Touriga Nacional, 15% Tinta Roriz. Luís Sottomayor describes the 2011 vintage as 'an extraordinary year – one of the best ever in the Douro – intense and exceptional in quality'. A cool and rainy winter replenished water reserves in the soil and sustained the vines through what was a dry growing season. Mild summer temperatures allowed the grapes to undergo slow ripening. There were two significant rain showers on 21 August and 1 September but the grapes remained healthy. TA 5.5 g/l, RS 2 g/l, pH 3.61. Liberty Wines' MD David Gleave unearthed this bottle so that we had a more direct comparison – in terms of the vintage – with the Barca Velha 2011. Deeply coloured like black-cherry skins. Smells much younger than the 2008, the black fruit more primary. Dark and rocky with Douro character and a light herbal/eucalyptus character – as in the Barca Velha 2011. A savoury side too, with just a hint of oak’s sweet spice. On the palate, more chewy, savoury and still very youthful. More chewy than 2011 Barca Velha even though the latter is more powerful and dense. This is powerful but not heavy, the alcohol well integrated even if there’s a little bit of heat on the finish. Very Douro. Power and emerging elegance. Packed with black fruit on the finish yet not sweet-fruited. Still quite youthful but you could drink this now with food. (JH)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
45% Touriga Franca, 40% Nacional, 15% Tinta Roriz. 16 months in French oak, 50% new. Hotter vintages spend less time in oak because the oak would show too much – eg in 2010. Malo takes place in old oak. Inky colour of elderberry juice. Dark, dusty Douro rocky aroma on the nose. Blackcurrant with both elderberry wildness and blueberry sweetness and a sweet note of tobacco leaf. Deep and rich and fully rounded though packed with tannins. Oak is present but integrated. Lively, chewy finish. Opens in the glass to notable fragrance. (JH)
The 2011 Quinta da Leda (Casa Ferreirinha) is another fine Leda – not surprising in a terrific vintage, because they’ve been pretty fine in general for awhile. It is primarily a Touriga Franca/Touriga Nacional blend (45-40), with Tinta Roriz filling out the rest, all aged for 18 months in French oak, only 50% new. If it lacks the flashy notes of the 2009, it seems just as elegant as the 2010, but perhaps even better-balanced and more concentrated. This will one day be more expressive. At the moment, it is tight, a bit tannic and oak-tinged. Its graceful demeanor and tightly wound feel portend a big winner when this begins to open up and develop some complexity. Come back in 3-5 years for better results. It is on the short list for the best of the recent string of winners. There were approximately 33,700 bottles produced. Drink 2016-2033. Importer: Evaton, Inc., Stamford, CT; tel. (203) 968-8220; Importer for Casa Ferreirinha wines ONLY: Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 931-1725
A tad lightweight but spicy and fun. Not the most soulful – winemaking by committee? – and a tad scrawny on the end (higher yielding vines?) but sincere. (JR)
About the producer
Product details
Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca/Touriga Francesa, Tinta Barroca, Tempranillo, Other
Red
Dry