2015 Barca Velha

Every so often, well, to be precise, this is the 21st occasion in 72 years a mind-blowing red wine is released in Portugal. It is no understatement to say that Barca-Velha is a legendary creation. The 2015 vintage will arrive in the UK a couple of days after this piece is published, so you are the first to hear about its greatness. I have been fortunate to taste a number of older Barca-Velha vintages, and they age more gracefully than most top-flight red Bordeaux. Only the other day, I tasted a 1982 that was fresh, supremely complex and mind-bendingly delicious. So, on the brink of the release of the 2015 vintage, I was fortunate to taste it with the President of Sogrape (owners of Casa Ferreirinha) and winemaker Luís Sottomayor, who has worked at this illustrious estate since 1989. And what a wine! Luís explained that the conditions of the 2015 growing season were wholly responsible for this wine’s extraordinary potential. A relatively dry and warm winter and spring led to an early veraison, and then August was cooler with crisp nights, and a couple of showers refreshed the vines in September. These are the conditions that give rise to epic-quality fruit. With the depth and gravitas of the amazing 2011 vintage and the definition and freshness of the 2008, this 2015 combines all the finest attributes of my favourite Barca-Velha wines, resulting in a creation of uncommon purity, depth, and beauty. While a quiet renaissance has been happening at Ferreirinha for a decade or more, the story seems complete, with 2015 Barca-Velha gaining a perfect 20/20 score in my notes. Yes, this is the finest Portuguese red wine I have ever tasted.

Released June 2024. A blend of 43% Touriga Franca, 40% Touriga Nacional, 10% Sousão, 5% Tinto Cão, 2% Tinta Roriz from Sogrape's top plots on the Quinta da Leda estate and other higher-elevation vineyards in the Douro Superior, just 12 km from the border with Spain. The vineyards are planted on rolling hills on the south bank of the Douro and are a complex patchwork of plots, each matched to a specific grape variety. Soils are composed predominantly of schist, which fractures vertically and allows the vine roots to delve deep to access water and nutrients. According to Sogrape's tasting booklet, 'The vintage was notably dry at the start, with March recording half the expected precipitation and temperatures higher than normal from April to May. The summer months were very hot, however, the soils benefited from great water reserves. Despite the vegetative cycle being 1–2 weeks early, temperature variations throughout August and September allowed for good ripening.' Vinified at the gravity-fed Quinta da Leda winery, the hand-harvested grapes were co-fermented in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks with intense pumping over. Following fermentation, the wine was aged in Vila Nova de Gaia for 18 months in French oak barrels, 75% of which were new. The final blend is a barrel selection. Aged 7 years in bottle prior to release in June 2024. TA 5.5 g/l, pH 3.6. Deepest crimson with purple rim. Rich, spicy black fruit, dark and savoury like the Douro's best. Blackcurrant and blueberry sweetness. Ultra-fine tannins, so refined, elegant and incredibly well balanced for such a young Barca Velha. Powerful but so harmonious you barely feel the power. Immense length. The tannins are extremely fine and a little thicker than in the 1999. As it opens, there's more violets and more of Touriga Nacional's floral perfume. The tannins build in the mouth but they are still refined, polished – smoother at this age than they would have been in the older wines, I suspect. Head winemaker Luís Sottomayor described the 2015 as having 'The body and structure of 2011 but the freshness and elegance from 2008'. (JH)

I hate the comparison of Barca Velha with Vega Sicilia because they don't have much in common other than being historical wines in Portugal and Spain, respectively. But I must say that the 2015 Barca Velha makes me think of a modern Vega Sicilia because of the nose, which is spicy and smoky, with ripe berry fruit, notes of graphite, herbs, flowers and spices. Well, and they are both wines from the Douro/Duero River... This was produced with a blend of grapes from Quinta da Leda and other higher-altitude places in the Douro Superior and is composed of 43% Touriga Francesa, 40% Touriga Nacional, 10% Sousão, 5% Tinto Cão and 2% Tinta Roriz. 2015 was a balanced year, not cold(-ish) like 2008 and not as warm as 2011, which changes the blend between higher- and lower-altitude vineyards. It matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, close to 75% of them new. The palate is a little lighter than I expected, only medium-bodied, with abundant tannins and a dry finish. 16,672 bottles produced. It was bottled in 2017 and kept in bottle for seven years.