2022 Mary Taylor Douro Red Blend, Filipe Ferreira Enólogo em Gouvães do Douro

This blend brings together the aromatic intensity of Touriga Nacional, the sophisticated delicacy of Tinta Roriz (better known in Spain as Tempranillo), and the structure and elegance of Touriga Franca. Fresh red fruits on the nose persist through the palate, announcing a young, energetic wine with swirling, well-integrated tannins, and a lovely, long finish.

93 Points (2022 vintage review) – John Gilman, View From The Cellar.“ Happily, the 2022 vintage of Douro Tinto from Filipe Ferreira comes in at the same octane level as his lovely 2021 version, tipping the scales at 13.5 percent. The wine is made from the same cépages as well this year: sixty percent Touriga Nacional, twenty-five percent Tinta Roriz and fifteen percent Touriga Franca. The 2022 version reveals a beautifully refined bouquet of cassis, black cherries, a touch of saddle leather, cigar smoke, black tea and a complex base of dark soil tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and very elegant for a Douro based on Touriga Nacional, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil undertow and grip, ripe tannins and a long, well balanced and tangy young finish. This is an excellent wine, but it will need some time in the cellar to soften up its underlying tannins. 2032-2065”

-John Gilman, published by View From The Cellar. Suggested drinking: 2032-2065.

Quinta da Foz is located at the junction of the Douro River and its tributary, the Pinhão, in the Cima Corgo subregion. Here, in the center of the Douro Valley, steep terraces are cut into the schist riverbanks, where vine roots seek out the pockets of moisture in the foliated sheets of schist, bringing a great minerality to the final wine. As you pull into the iconic train station at Pinhão, you’ll notice the beautiful hand-painted blue tiles (azulejos) depicting the grape harvest. Quinta da Foz is just over the Pinhão River from the station. The Calém family acquired it in 1872, and today Filipe Ferreira heads the winemaking.

The property of the Quinta consists of 20 hectares, of which half are old vines and the rest are olive groves. The grapevines’ average age is 80 years old, and Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz are predominant. This small, 20-hectare property is classified by the IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto), who gives this Quinta an A-rating for its choice terroir. Everything is hand harvested. All of the wines are foot-pressed in large granite lagares.