‘Outstanding’ Casa Ferreirinha Barca-Velha 2015 released

This month sees the UK release of the 2015 vintage of Barca-Velha Douro Tinto, with winemaker Luís Sottomayor citing its “capacity to age” as its standout feature.

“When it appeared in Portugal in 1952, the idea was for a wine of great complexity, with a great capacity to age in the bottle – we still have this philosophy,” said Sogrape winemaker Luís Sottomayor during a tasting of three vintages of Barca-Velha held at two-Michelin-starred London restaurant Trivet last week.

Since 1952, only 21 Barca-Velhas have been declared – before the 2015, the previous vintage was the 2011, and before that, 2008. Since that time, only three people have also held the post of Casa Ferreirinha winemaker, with Sottomayor at the estate’s helm since 1989, while also serving as head winemaker for Casa Ferreirinha owner Sogrape since 2007.

Growing pains

2015 was not a vintage that was pre-destined to make a great wine, with Sottomayor dubbing it a “beautiful, difficult year”, with a dry winter, a hot dry spring, and very hot leading to the rapid maturation of the grapes – though, fortunately, the diurnal range of the region, and careful canopy management, meant that the fruit did not over-ripen.

“It has produced a wine with the style of a hot year – tannins in the month – but also a tension.”

What makes a Barca-Velha?

According to Sottomayor, the 2015 was only decided to be released as a Barca-Velha at “the end of last year”, after a rigorous tasting process determined that it had the ability to get better and better over time.

One of the key features of Barca-Velha is that it is made by blending grapes sourced from different altitudes in the Quinta de Leda (120 to 280 metres above sea level) and other higher altitude vineyards in Douro Superior (up to 650 m.a.s.l.) – as Sottomayor put it, Barca-Velha “was never an estate wine”.

Whereas the warmer conditions of lower altitudes bring “phenolic compounds and colour”, the cooler, higher altitude plots the fruit is sourced from lends “acidity and freshness”.

“The difference is that 50-60 years ago, we bought the grapes from high altitude plots,” Sottomayor shared, “now we own the vines.”

In terms of the blend composition, the 2015 consists of 43% Touriga Franca, 40% Touriga Nacional, 10% Sousão, 5% Tinto Cão, and 2% Tinta Roriz.

In the last decades, the proportion of Tinta Roriz used has declined dramatically, going from being the lead variety (70%) in the 1983, to more secondary in the 1999 (30%) – both also tasted alongside the 2015.

“80 years ago, Tinta Roriz represented 60-70% of plantings in the Douro, but now we feel that the quality is not exactly what we desire in the wine, so we use less and less,” said Sottomayor.

Describing the reasoning behind the 2015’s blend, he said that Touriga Franca gives “structure and body”, Touriga Nacional provides “complexity and aroma”, and that the other three varieties “are more or less like salt and pepper”.

The grapes were co-fermented in stainless steel, with pumping over to maximise extraction.

In the cellar, located at Vila Nova de Gaia, Barca-Velha 2015 was aged for 18 months in French oak (75% new). The 1999 vintage was the first to be matured in French oak, with previous iterations of Barca-Velha ageing in Portuguese oak, which Sottomayor said was comparable to Limousin oak, in that it grows more quickly, resulting in larger pores, and therefore more rapid ageing.

The taste test

The crucial question for a wine of Barca-Velha’s nature is whether it will hold up in the bottle.

“We only sell the wine when we feel it can give pleasure at the table,” argued Sottomayor. “It is round, soft, and drinkable.”

Over the course of the dinner, the 2015 opened up considerable, and proved a worthy accompaniment to the Trivet roast ‘best end’ of North Welsh lamb with onion soubise, sumac and aubergine, with its black fruit, tobacco and black pepper notes working nicely with the slight smokiness of the dish. Sottomayor revealed that when he presented the wine to his Sogrape colleagues, it was served with partridge – shot by himself, naturally.

The 1983, which still had glimmers of youth, is, according to Sottomauor, “on the highway” when it comes to ageing potential, reaching a desired level of complexity “some years ago”, which he expects it will retain “for years to come”.

But he suggested that the lifespan of Barca-Velha is not limited to 40 years, citing expressions he tasted from the 1950s which “still have a red colour, and still give pleasure”. He then argued that improved winemaking knowledge and technology has only increased the capacity more recent vintages have to develop.

Due to the challenges of the vintage, just 16,000 bottles of the 2015 were produced (no Magnums, due to the limited supply), half the size of the production for 2011, which was the biggest quantity of Barca-Velha ever. Overall, around 40% of Barca-Velha stays in the domestic market. The UK RRP for a 75cl bottle of the 2015 is £600, and distribution is handled by Liberty Wines.

“I think that 2015 has something of the ’08, with freshness and elegance, and of the ’11, with body and structure,” Sottomayor suggested.

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