2014 Casa Ferreirinha Reserva Especial
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Full bottle a horribly heavy 1,753 g. Fruit from Quinta da Leda and from very high elevation to have high capacity to age. Longer bottle ageing. Aiming for a pH of 3.5 (some wines 3.8 and some with 3.2). A notably wet winter, particularly in January and February, helped replenish water reserves in the soil. A fresh summer was defined by swings in the weather, as evidenced by a heatwave in June and rainfall in both July and September. Harvested in September. 42% Touriga Franca, 34% Touriga Nacional, 13% Tinta Roriz, 11% Tinto Cão. Destemmed, all varieties co-fermented in stainless-steel tanks; long maceration. Malo in old oak. Matured in Vila Nova de Gaia in French oak barrels (75% new) for 12 months then blended. Filtered before bottling in May 2016 and released only in 2023. TA 5.5 g/l, pH 3.5. Very dark and still with some purple in the crimson rim. Beautifully scented with some cedar and rock rose and still a lot of black fruit. Dark, dark and a little peppery/spicy but it is the fruit that shines, and the oak is subtle even if it has thickened the texture of the tannins. A tannic baby with fruit at its core, dark blackberry, savoury. Really refined. Even with all these tannins it flows across the palate in a dry river of elegant and fresh fruit. Chalky finesse on the finish. This has a long way to go though you could broach it now with food if you prefer fruit over greater complexity. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The latest release and the second wine of Barca Velha. Complex, developed aroma of sweet damson and blueberry fruit shading into darker-fruited and more savoury notes. Just slightly charry. Still incredibly youthful. Very firm, dry, grainy tannins. Already complex but this is really not showing its full complexity yet even if you could approach it now with food. A sour freshness creeps out of the thick tannins. Wait. (JH)
2014 was an exceptional vintage in the Douro, giving Sottomayor a difficult decision as whether to declare the wine a Barca Velha or a Reserva Especial. In December 2022, he opted for the latter. The hand-harvested grapes were destemmed, rigorously sorted and then co-fermented in stainless steel before ageing for 18 months in French barrels (75% new). The final blend was composed from the very best barrels. It was then bottled without fining and only received a gentle filtration. As for the wine, it has a deep, saturated colour and a supremely expressive floral and fruit-driven nose. On the palate it brims with flavours of sweet blue and black fruits, (cherry in particular) as well as black pepper, chocolate, iris, tobacco hints, ginger and orange peel. The oak is seamless at this stage and frames the wine’s superb mouthfeel and texture, as do the sweet, gliding tannins. Also present is a great spine of acidity perfectly balanced with the vibrant fruit and structure. The persistent finish is equally admirable. This wine is drinking now and will age and improve for many years to come. Given its impeccable style and quality, this must have been close to being a Barca Velha.
About the producer
Product details
Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca/Touriga Francesa, Tinta Barroca, Tempranillo, Other
Red
Dry