Product Description
Gorgeous, captivating aromas of black fruits, cassis and liquorice, interlaced with delicate notes of mint and succulent, black olives. On the palate, the wine is pure seduction with its concentrated essence of intense, bright, blackberry and black cherry flavours with some kirsch, liquorice and black chocolate also present in the background. The formidable, compact structure is lithe and taut, the fine-grained peppery tannins complemented by incredible freshness that give the wine remarkable balance and poise.
Accolades
Wine Facts
Douro
Smith's Woodhouse own Quinta da Madalena and a handful of other Rio Torto Valley vineyards which have traditionally supplied Smith Woodhouse. The principal component varities were the Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional, whilst the old mixed wines from Madalena also made an important contribution.
Charles Symington
2010
PORTUGAL
Symington Family Estates Vinhos S.A.
20.00%
Intense, Bright black Fruit, Kirsch, Liquorice, and Darkest chocolate
Black fruit, Liquorice, Mint, and Black Olives
Limited quantities
Vineyard Info
Smith Woodhouse’s own Quinta da Madalena and a handful of other Rio Torto Valley vineyards which have traditionally supplied Smith Woodhouse. The principal component varieties were the Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional, whilst the old mixed vines from Madalena also made an important contribution.
YEAR AND HARVEST OVERVIEW
2009 was the third dry year in succession in the Douro and by the end of the growth and maturation cycles in September, we had 40% less rain than normal. There was virtually no rain to speak of during July, August and September, but fortunately 40 mm came down in June and this was decisive, proving to be just enough to sustain the vines through the summer. Although summer temperatures were typically high, they were just below average during July, which helped to reduce the vine’s hydric stress. Inevitably, yields were right down — by one third across our family’s vineyards where the vines produced an average of just 700 g of grapes each. This led to the smallest vintage in the Douro since 2000. The upside of the dry conditions was the virtual absence of vine disease, and the berries reached the winery in excellent condition.
