Curriculum Vitae Tinto

Description

The 2018/2019 growing season was marked by significant temperature fluctuations and below‑average annual rainfall, making 2019 a dry year. The climatic conditions caused a slight early onset of the vegetative cycle compared with the average of the past five years, which then slowed down over the course of the season. Despite a period of high rainfall in April, the subsequent weather contributed to excellent vine health during harvest. Harvest began, in general, at the end of September and extended a bit later than the previous year thanks to favourable September and October weather. Occasional rainfall during harvest had a positive effect on ripening, as the good vine health allowed waiting for optimal grape maturity. The harvest produced high‑quality musts, typically with higher acidity, lower alcohol content, and a good phenolic profile. The red grapes were harvested between 16 September and 11 October 2019. The CV – Curriculum Vitae Douro Tinto comes from a single vineyard located in the Torto River valley. It contains over 25 different grape varieties from a single 80‑plus‑year‑old vine, including Rufete, Tinta Amarela, Donzelinho Tinto, Tinta Francisca, Sousão, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and Touriga Nacional, among others. All grapes are hand‑picked and selected before being destemmed and placed in granite vats. The grapes are stomped 2 to 3 days before fermentation begins. The wine ferments in vats, and occasional stomping is used to extract tannins, colour, and flavour in a homogeneous way. The wines are transferred to 75% new French oak barrels (225 L) for malolactic fermentation and ageing for 21 months. The final bottling occurs about a month before packaging. Bottling date: July 2021 (5,474 × 750 ml + 209 × 1,500 ml + 56 × 3,000 ml). Winemakers: Cristiano van Zeller and Joana Pinhão.