Quinta do Infantado Ruby Porto

FROM BOWLER WINE:

THE PORT: Touriga Franca/Touriga Nacional/Tinta Roriz/old field-blended red varieties. From exclusively Class A parcels (Serra Douro, Lapa, Castelos) totaling 11.5 hectares on poor schist soils. The fruit is hand-harvested, partly destemmed and fermented in lagar and tank; fermentation is stopped with 77-degree grape brandy. The wine is aged in a variety of tonel and balseiro, which are tall wooden tanks from 3,000-60,000 liters with thick staves that slow down oxidation. It finishes at a modest 19.5% alcohol and 70 g/liter RS, in other words considerably drier than most rubies. The average age in bottle is 2-3 years. 20,000-30,000 numbered bottles produced annually.

THE PRODUCER: 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. Infantado has successfully distinguished their Port wines with some atypical choices in the last fifty years. The wines reflect the terroir and the tradition of the region in myriad ways through a modern, more vinous lens. João 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 the bottle.