2018 Quinta do Vale Meão Monte Meão Vinha dos Novos

In the eastern part of the Douro, near the Spanish border, we find Quinta do Vale Meão, birthplace of Barca Velha, the most famous and highly acclaimed Douro. The quinta is owned by Francisco Javier de Olazabal, the great-great-grandson of Dona Antonia Ferreira who bought the quinta in 1877. The former director of the port house Ferreira started making wine in 1998 with his son, oenologist Xito (Francisco) Olazabal. this exceptional terroir. Their first wine, Meao 1999, was immediately named the best Portuguese wine of 1999. It is the most famous quinta in Portugal and is also part of the famous Douro Boys. All the wines they now make guarantee an authentic experience of the Douro wines, of course made from the typical Portuguese grape varieties from the Douro region. Quinta do Vale Meão belongs to the top of Portugal and you can taste why that is!

In addition to the well-known Quinta do Vale Meão Tinto, a number of other very special wines are made at Vale Meão, often in very small quantities. These are wines from vineyards on granite soil, which mature a bit longer in barrel than the other wines of the quinta - the so-called Monrte Meāo wines. These special wines also have a different grape composition.

The Monte Meão Vinha dos Novos has matured for around 20 months in used French oak and has an alcohol percentage of 13.5%. The Touriga Nacional grapes are crushed by feet in granite lagares, then they are transferred to wooden barrels where they ferment for 10 days.
The wines of Vale Meão are considered the absolute top in the Douro and we invite you to discover them. Vale Meão combines the intense taste of the Douro with great refinement.

This is very nice with a nice concentration and a great aftertaste. The wine takes some time to open (i.e. decant in its younger years) but with some time and oxygen it gradually shows more expressive fruits as it opens. Very vibrant color. Very unique on the nose with floral and citrus notes. On the tongue, it maintains that floral profile and shows a surprising softness. It has an extraordinary elegance and excellent acidity with firm yet elegant tannins.