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www.buyersandcellars.ca Cellar Profile
In the heart of the Douro Valley’s Cima Corgo sub-region, you’ll find a winery that strikes a fine balance between tradition and modernity, elegantly showcasing the exciting breadth of offerings coming out of Portugal these days. Quinta da Pedra Alta is the longtime dream-come-true of a small group of family and friends from the United Kingdom, who purchased the historic property in 2018. Their 35 hectares of steep, terraced vineyards are the archetype Douro landscape, dramatically rising from the eponymous river that meanders through northern Portugal. Only indigenous Portuguese grapes — namely Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinto Roriz for reds and Gouveio, Rabigato and Viosinho for whites — are planted on poor, schist-based soils. The winemaking is led by two young and dynamic individuals, João Pires from Portugal and Matt Gant from Australia. As is tradition in the area, all wines are blends and grapes are crushed via foot treading in granite lagares. Only wild yeasts are used in fermentation and oak aging is measured. Pedra Alta wines are at once powerful and refined, offering up loads of Douro Valley warmth alongside Old World structure and sophistication.
Region
Named after the river which runs throughout the Iberian peninsula before entering the Atlantic Ocean, the Douro region is best known for producing the fortified wine, Port. The past few decades have seen an uptick in the quantity and quality of unfortified wines, usually falling under the DOC Douro designation. The region’s vast array of native grapes are the ingredients for both Port and their unfortified counterparts, most notably Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) for reds, and Gouveio, Rabigato, Malvasia Fina and Viosinho for whites. The climate here is hot and dry, with steep terraced vineyards combining to produce extremely ripe grapes and subsequently full-flavoured, high alcohol wines.
Vineyard
Sourced from vineyards ranging from between 350 and 450 masl. Vines are between 15 and 26 years old, planted in schist dominant soils at a density of 4,000 plants per hectare. They are trained via single, double cordon and guyot methods.
Varieties
A blend of Rabigato, Gouveio and Viosinho. Rabigato adds bright acidity and salty minerality to blends alongside notes of acacia, orange blossom and white peach. Gouveio is now planted throughout Portugal with particularly significant plantings in Alentejo. Among its attributes: fresh acidity, bright citrus fruit and complex anise seed character.
Winemaking
Grapes are picked early in the morning and whole-bunch pressed as soon as they arrive at the winery. The juice is then fermented by wild yeasts at 15°C so that the wine maintains primary fruit aromas and flavours. Spirit is added at the appropriate time to stop the fermentation. The wine is then matured sur lie in stainless steel tanks before blending and bottling. Throughout the process, minimal handling and attention to detail ensure that the delicate aromatics are not compromised.
Tasting Notes
Fresh citrus fruit and apple aromas alongside subtle licorice and tropical notes. The palate is bursting with fresh citrus and pineapple flavours wrapped in a full body with a long finish.