Pressed against the plaza wall at Quinta Nova, an unremarkable row of tiny, gnarled vines clutches tightly, almost arthritically, to the hillside. The eye passes over them easily, favoring the grander views of the mighty river valley and its slopes, wrought into terraces over the course of lifetimes by unfathomable human effort. But these crippled little vines have a secret, and one that is in many ways as incredible as the Douro itself. There are eighty genetically distinct vine cultivars hugging the perimeter of the winery wall, they are over one hundred years old, and—with the exception of Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz—nobody knows what they are. These seventy-eight varietals are unlike each other, unlike Portugal’s other 250 indigenous grapes, and unlike anything you’ve ever drunk. The mystery vines offer miniscule yields, and those few grapes they do produce only go into the winery’s very best reds. Quinta Nova Referência 2012 is one of those wines, and yesterday, my last night at the winery, I had the chance to drink it.
Referência, a blend of Tinta Roriz and the mystery vines, spends 18 months in new French oak and 6 months in bottle before release. The wine is completely opaque with a bright red ruby rim. The nose is composed of licorice, cherry preserves, and dried roses. On the attack, the first thing I notice is the tannins—they’re dynamic, both spicy and fruity, and along with the wine’s medium body and good acidity make for an extremely vibrant mouthfeel. I taste distinct orange notes: bitter marmalade, orange flowers, and blood orange, as well as red and black cherries, and more of that chalky minerality I’ve come to identify with Quinta Nova. The finish is fruity, and it lasts for a long, long time. I would pair Referência with a honey-glazed ham, a pastrami and cheese sandwich, or crab cakes with paprika. It’s best consumed somewhere that strikes wonder in the human spirit—a first-growth forest, the edge of a canyon, or a winery overlooking the Douro.
Visit Quinta Nova online at www.quintanova.com
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