Wine & Soul

 My final stop in Europe is the Douro Valley. I have very fond memories of this region from a visit 6-7 years ago. This time, I will only visit the four wineries which impressed me most at the time. Today, the first stop is at Wine & Soul. This was a very small, high quality operation at the time. It is still a family business, but it has gone from strength to strength and produces 120,000 bottles per annum now.

The passion of the winemaking couple is old vines. The original vineyard, owned for a bit over 20 years now, is called Pintas, and their field blend from 95 year old wines made the business famous. Then it had the chance to acquire an even older vineyard, with vines 135 years old, some eight years ago, I think.

The first wines of the tasting were from much younger fruit, of course. The 2022 Manoella White is a blend of three varieties, with Rabigato being the major one. This is a crisp wine, a little fruity, with citrus and stone fruit flavours. There is some complexity in this summer wine, but the finish is a little short (90 points). The Manoella Rosé is based on the national grape, Touriga Nacional. The colour is very pale, it is fashioned along Provencal Rosé. I found the wine quite tight, and lacking in flavour (87 points).

Then came two mid level wines. The 2021 Manoella Red is based on four varieties, with Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca being the major components. The vines for this wine are young, and it shows. The wine is quite fruity and a bit blocky (88 points). The 2021 Pintas Character Red is a big step up. This is a field blend from the famous vineyard, I suppose declassified from the flagship. The wine is matured in old barrels for 18 months. The wine is blue and black fruited, with more depth and more elegance. The wine has good length, but is a bit rough and angular on the finish (92 points).

The 2020 Manoella VV (vielle vignes) is a terrific wine. Only 3000 bottles are made from the oldest vines of this vineyard, including over 30 varieties. The soil of this vineyard, mainly clay based, is quite fertile, and this is reflected in the glass. This wine, red fruited, is super elegant and feminine, with silky tannins, and a fine grained, long finish (96 points).

The 2020 Pintas from a vineyard only a few hundred meters away, is quite a contrast. The soil of this vineyard is quite poor and rocky. The vines struggle more. Again, this is a field blend from over 30 varieties, from vines 95 years old. The wine has been matured in barrique for 18 months, 15% new. This is a firmer, more masculine wine, red and black fruited. The tannins are strong, and the finish is long. This wine will need more time to completely integrate, but the structure of this wine promises a long life (95 points).