Vieira de Sousa Tawny Port 10 Year (750ml)

The 10 year old Tawny is a gorgeous example of the estate’s beautifully complex grapes after going through traditional practices and aging.  A field blend of native varietals such as Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Cão, and Tinta Roriz, are handpicked and brought into the cellar, and then placed into old traditional stone lagares for an old-fashioned foot pressing and fermentation.  When the process is halted by fortification with grape brandy, the wine is placed into a combination of different large and old oak casks for many years, with the bottled wine having an average of 10 year aged Port in it.  The aromas are intense and heady, with dried fruits, figs, nuts, and plum, leading to a silky and soft texture on the palate with stewed fruits, cinnamon stick, and dates.  The freshness is remarkable, and the depth and length makes this contemplative sipper a treat for enjoying after a good meal.

Vieira de Sousa is a newly official Port house that dates back to the 18th century; as they have always farmed exceptional fruit from the Douro River region but used to sell the majority of their juice to larger estates nearby. As they have made small bits of Port for the family for over a century, the house now makes only their own Port as Luisa Vieira de Sousa Borges (the current and now operation generation of the family) completed a degree in oenology in 2008 and decided to take her family's business to a new level. In her young 30's, she is ambitious and is tackling a world of old traditional wine made by old men, by making incredible juice on her family's land. All estate fruit is used for the wines, coming from four different quintas (vineyards) at varying elevations, dispositions, and influences. In 2009 they bottled their first vintage Port from their top Quinta do Roncão Pequeno site, and the rest will now be history. In old stone lagares, they foot crush their fruit, let only the natural yeasts begin the fermentation, allow natural settling for clarification, and use incredibly delicate and quality brandy for fortification. Naturally, the final aged wines are exceptional, classic, and will be recognized as some of the greatest Ports available on the market.

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