2019 Quinta de La Rosa - Vintage Port

Quinta de la Rosa sits above the Douro River near the village of Pinhão, purchased in 1906 as a christening gift for the family matriarch Claire Bergqvist. For decades the estate sold its grapes to other Port houses until 1988, when her granddaughter Sophia and Sophia's father Tim relaunched the property under its own label. Working with winemaker David Baverstock, La Rosa became a pioneer in crafting still Douro table wines from traditional Port varieties, while continuing to produce Port itself in a style the estate is known for: rich yet elegant, favoring freshness and balance over sheer weight.

The 2019 Vintage Port was made from a selection of the estate's finest lots, primarily Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Sousão grown on schist terraces above the river. Grapes were hand harvested and foot-trodden in granite lagares over several days with careful temperature control, before the addition of grape spirit halted fermentation and preserved the wine's natural sweetness. The blend was then aged for eighteen months in large oak barrels prior to bottling, a relatively brief oak regime intended to keep the fruit vivid and the structure fresh.

The nose opens with rose petal, crushed grape skin, and graphite, giving way to sweeter aromas of red plum and ripe raspberry. Full-bodied yet lifted, the palate carries that same interplay of wild energy and refinement, with firm tannins and bright acidity supporting a long, structured finish built for further cellaring. It pairs beautifully with roast duck, aged Manchego, or a dried-fruit compote.