Ramos Pinto Quinta de Ervamoira Douro DOC
Douro, Portugal
Vintage:2018 (Past)
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Reviews
Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
“Fermented in stone lagars before wood aging, this Douro Superior wine is a departure for this estate, better known for its Ports. It is superrich, with powerful tannins and big fruit. The pepper edge does indicate the high alcohol, which is a shame. Drink from 2023. ”
Wine & Spirits 92 Points
“Ervamoira, in the arid, far-eastern reaches of the Douro, grew this warm wine that delivers superripe fruit with elegance. It has a purple-violet perfume, sunbaked fruit flavors and scrubby herbal notes in the gentle, graceful tannins. Decant it for grilled lamb.”
JancisRobinson.com 16.5 Points
“Very deep purplish crimson. Smells rich, sweet and ripe – and alcoholic, with oak as well as fruit sweetness. Very concentrated, almost eye-wateringly so. Full bodied, smooth, unexpectedly rounded tannins but plenty of them. Darker and more savoury in the flavours on the palate but I couldn’t drink more than a very small glass of this as it is so concentrated. The alcohol is just about in proportion but there’s a warmth at the back of the throat. Tastes more like a dry port than a red wine. So concentrated that the finish is just a touch bitter. You can have too much of a good thing. Lovers of mass and concentration may love it but it is too much for me, and I suspect it would be too much to match with food.”
Decanter 96 Points
“Velvety, perfumed and sumptuous, this new single-vineyard release is remarkably lithe given its 15.5% alcohol. The vinous equivalent of Wagyu beef, the Douro Superior grapes were gently foot-trodden in traditional granite lagares. Aged in top-notch oak barrels and vats, fine-grained tannins meld seamlessly with sweet-scented, bergamot and orange peel-edged crushed raspberry, mulberry and blackberry fruit. Savoury undertones of tapenade and a suggestion of mint lend nuance. Ultra-confident.”
The Wine Advocate 93 Points
“The 2018 Tinto Quinta de Ervamoira is a field blend aged for 18 months in one-third new French oak (about one-third overall in large vats). It comes in at 15% alcohol (actual). This is a single-quinta red, of course, only sourced from the best parcels. (There will eventually be a single-parcel wine too, but maybe not from this quinta.) Smooth and refined, this shows off its mid-palate finesse. In its youth, however, it also shows off that new wood a bit too much. That will get better in time. The tannins are very ripe, so you can drink this now, but you'd be well advised to give this a couple of years anyway to let it be all it can be. It's pretty delicious even now, though, and hard to resist.”
Overview
It was at this Quinta that modern Douro viticulture was born. For the first time, in 1974, five studied varieties were planted separately, with rows following the direction of the slope. At Quinta de Ervamoira, viticultural practices are sustainable, respect biodiversity and do not use any herbicides. The Ramos Pinto team produced the DOC Douro Quinta de Ervamoira by choosing small plots on selected vineyards which were harvested and vinified with great care. This wine is only bottled in years when there is absolutely no doubt about its fine quality and personality. The Quinta de Ervamoira is our interpretation of that unique, inimitable terroir.
Winemaking
The vinification process begins with constant visits and tastings of the grapes in the selected vineyards until the harvest date for each plot is decided. On the day of the harvest, the best and most experienced team of harvesters are allocated to these plots. The grapes are harvested by hand. Extremely gentle fermentation takes place in the traditional granite lagars. The wine ages in wood for 18 months: one-third in small oak vats, one-third in new barrels and one-third in one-year-old barrels. After bottling, it is aged for a another year in the Ramos Pinto cellars.
Tasting Notes
With a bright garnet color, the Douro DOC Quinta de Ervamoira 2018 is very expressive and is blessed with enormous aromatic complexity. In the mouth it is pure elegance, with a silky smooth start, always growing in volume and an intense, persistent finish.
Harvest Notes
2018 was an unusual year at Quinta de Ervamoira. The spring and early summer had cool temperatures and some instances of heavy rainfall which prolonged the vegetative cycle and left the soil sufficiently moist to allow for an optimal end to grape maturation in August and September, which were hot and dry. The 2018 wines from Quinta de Ervamoira have a surprising elegance and freshness.
Food Pairing
Pairs beautifully with grilled red meats. It is excellent with roast kid, wild boar stew with chestnuts, roast cod and strong cheeses.
Technical Information
Varietals: 86% Touriga Nacional, 14% Touriga Franca
Wine Alcohol: 15.5%
pH: 3.67