Casa Ferreirinha Reserva Especial Red

Casa Ferreirinha Reserva Especial Red

THE WINE

Reserva Especial is a magnificent, mature red wine from the Douro, classic in style, complex, rich and charismatic. It was created more than 50 years ago, and remains one of the main pillars upon which the reputation of Casa Ferreirinha rests. It has few peers. Casa Ferreirnha was the first company to make fine, unfortified Douro wines, and today is still one of the main standard-bearers for the region around the world. This wine is made only in exceptional years. A total of only 16 vintages have been declared.

TASTING NOTES

Reserva Especial 2007 is intensely coloured, almost opaque. Its delightful aroma is equally intense, reminiscent of really ripe red fruits and black plums. Spices such as cinnamon and clove, balsamic of cedar, tobacco box and "sous-bois" are also evident, allied with very well integrated notes from the barrel ageing. This is a wine of excellent structure, firm tannins of great quality, balanced by good acidity. The great intensity and complexity of this wine give an extremely long finish.

WINEMAKING

Reserva Especial was made at the Quinta da Leda winery, which is equipped with the most up-to-date vinification systems. The grapes were selected by hand in the vineyard or upon reception at the winery, and were then vinified variety by variety, or sometimes blended together. They were totally destemmed and gently crushed, then conveyed to stainless steel tanks or robotic lagars (shallow, open fermentation tanks) for skin maceration and the alcoholic fermentation, with intense pumping-over or plunging at controlled temperature. A long post-fermentation maceration allowed additional high-quality components in the ripe skins to pass into the wine.

MATURATION

Wines destined potentially for Reserva Especial are transported to Vila Nova de Gaia imediately after maceration, and their «élevage» or ageing takes place during around a year to a year and a half (depending on the blend and the vessel in question) in

new French oak barrels of 225 litre capacity. The final blend of Reserva Especial was put together based on a continual selection of the best wines after

countless tastings and analyses carried out on the different blends and barrels during maturation. In order to maintain its very high quality, Reserva

Especial was bottled without treatment, and thus it is quite natural for it to form a deposit in bottle.

STORE

The bottle should be kept horizontally in a dry and cool place, sheltered from light. Reserva Especial has great ageing potential. It can be drunk now, or kept for some years.

SERVE

Choose the right moment to drink Reserva Especial, and take time to prepare the bottle and enjoy the occasion. Ideally, the bottle should be stood

upright the night before. Serve between 16oC-18oC.

ENJOY:

It should be decanted before serving to separate the wine from the natural deposit. Then sit back, relax, and enjoy it, accompanied by fine red meat or

game dishes, or even hard cheeses.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Region: Douro

Alcool Perc.: 14,5%

Bottle Size: 75CL - 25,4FL Oz

Producer: Sogrape Vinhos

Oenologist: Luís Sottomayor

Variety: Touriga Nacional | Tinta Roriz | Touriga Franca