Quinta do Infantado Douro Red 2019

This incredibly delicious Portughese dry red is made of 100% estate grapes : Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional and some old field-blend red varieties from two sustainably farmed sites (Serra Douro & Serra de Cotas) totaling eleven and one-half hectares and including the classic Douro blend of varieties in old parcels.  Vinified with partly destemmed fruit then fermented with native yeasts in lagar; the wine is aged eight months in tank and twenty-eight months in 300-liter French oak barrels (little to no new oak). It was almost Bordeaux-like in its flavor and style, yet will please the Cabernet lover as well. Black cherry, dark plum and Asian spices abound... pair with gamey roast pork or lamb, eggplant and herb roasted vegetables in particular. A winter stew or chili will also be fantastic with this beauty. 

Quinta do Infantado was founded in 1816 in the Cima Corgo sub-region of the Douro--considered its finest zone for both Port and dry wines--by the Portuguese crown heir D. Pedro IV, hence the name of the estate: “Infante” is Portuguese for "prince". The Roseira family has owned it since the end of the nineteenth century. Today, Infantado is run by third generation João Roseira (winemaker and vineyard manager) and other family members, who oversee family holdings of about forty-six hectares of vines. Quite interestingly, Infantado evolved over the last fifty years into the best kind of outlier and innovator in a wine region ruled for centuries by large-scale production and full-blown commerce. 

Owner João Roseira is continuing the exploration of terroir with some organic viticulture in a couple of parcels--from which they bottle a dry red wine from the traditional varieties—as well as single-variety vineyard plantings for Port production alongside the old mixed-grape plots. He takes nothing for granted and is emphatic about the importance of hands-and-eyes-on observation and engagement in the vines and in the cellar. Nothing is done by rote at Infantado, and the results of this thoughtful approach are evident in every bottle they produce including this one!