Casa Ferreirinha Barca Velha 2011
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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James Suckling
Extremely deep red with aromas and flavors that change all the time with blackberry, black raspberry, black licorice, floral and asphalt. Full-bodied with deep intensity, power and finesse. The tannins are wonderfully polished yet so much there. This is a tribute to the first great Barca Velhas of the 1960s. Drinkable, but better in three or four years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Barca Velha, the latest offering of this late-released wine, is a blend of 45% Touriga Franca, 35% Touriga Nacional, 10% Tinta Roriz and 10% Tinto Cão. This was aged in French oak for about 18 months. It comes in at 14.7% alcohol. The price of this tends to be set by the market (although it was around 250 euros with the producer's wine club), list prices having no resemblance to what might happen. I have heard of some retailers hitting 800 euros a bottle, which is frankly ridiculous. Still, this is very fine. With the late release, this has acquired some maturity and balance. It certainly has a far darker and warmer feel in 2011 than, say, in 2008. But it has a beautiful finish, mature flavors and tannins that balance rather than overwhelm the wine, at least with a little air. It still has a lot of tannic pop, but that is not scary anymore. I also loved the tinges of cherry and chocolate. This is impressive and very serious but hardly perfect. For a big 2011, it is well balanced, but finesse is not its key calling card. If you tasted this 2011 next to the 2008, you might wonder if it is really the same wine. So go vintage styles. Whether it is worth the money is up to you. Unfortunately, with cult wines, the discussion always winds up there. Most perform well, but it is often hard for them to justify the pricing compared to other wines that also perform well for a lot less money.
A story in every bottle. A Douro Valley pioneer and leader, Casa Ferreirinha has carried the torch for creative, quality winemaking in the Douro becoming the region’s most historic and iconic house. Casa Ferreirinha wines range from easy-drinking Esteva and Planalto through the richer Papa Figos and Vinha Grande to the exceptional Quinta da Leda, Reserva Especial, and Barca Velha which remains one of Portugal’s most famous, long-lived, elegant and complex wines. The story of Casa Ferreirinha is inextricably associated with one extraordinary woman: Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira was born in 1811 in the country town of Régua, the gateway to the wines of the Douro Valley. Though small in stature and reserved by nature, Dona Antónia was a charismatic visionary with entrepreneurial drive. In 1845 at age 33, she took over her family’s business, Ferreira Port, the first Portuguese family-owned Port House in the Douro. During her tenure at Ferreira Port, Dona Antónia expanded her estates, created new expanses of terraced vineyards and improved the hard lives of the local farming families. She was affectionally called ‘Ferreirinha’ – ‘the little Ferreira’. Dona Antónia’s legacy and quest for excellence continues to be a fundamental pillar of Casa Ferreirinha. In the 1950’s, Ferreira’s technical director, Fernando Nicolau de Almeida, set out to make the highest quality unfortified wines in the Douro. His aim was to produce elegant, top-quality wines with the aging potential of Vintage Port. In 1952, Barca Velha was born, an iconic wine made only in exceptional vintages combining the best grapes from the Douro Superior with grapes sourced at high altitudes.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.