Cabo da Roca Centenary Vines

Description

Cabo da Roca Centenary Vines 2014 — Baga from a 96-year-old vineyard, 24 km from the Atlantic

A Bairrada red grown at Cordinhã on bush-trained old vines over limestone. Lagar fermentation with foot treading, 24 months in French oak, two decades of cellaring ahead.

The vineyard sits at Cordinhã, 88 metres above sea level and 24 kilometres from the coast. It is around 96 years old and still bush-trained — the way Bairrada planted before tractors existed. From it come 93% Baga with 5% Maria Gomes and 2% Bical, the old field-blend proportion in which white and red varieties shared a single plot.

The climate is mild and Atlantic, the soil limestone. Harvest is entirely by hand, in the fourth week of September. In the winery: 30% partial destemming, crushing into open lagar, three days of cold maceration, twelve days of fermentation with gentle foot treading twice daily. Malolactic takes place in new barrels; ageing runs 24 months in used French oak, chosen so as not to mask the Baga.

Red fruit, scrubland, balsamic and vegetal notes, with nuances of wood and spice. The palate is complex, marked by pencil shavings, firm in structure and notably elegant — the balance Baga only gives when the vines are old and extraction is restrained. 12.5% alcohol.

Serve at 18 ºC. Cellaring 2017–2037. Pairs with pata negra, Serra da Estrela cheese, game stew or, staying local, suckling pig Bairrada-style. First vintage of the Centenary Vines series.

Read more in the Journal

• Old Vines
• How to Store Wine?