Barca-Velha 2011 market debut in April
In line with good practice in oenology after a recorking process, the decision was taken in October 2020 to postpone the launch of Barca-Velha 2011. Sogrape has now announced that the wine will reach the market in April. For the company's President, Fernando Cunha Guedes, “Of all the Barca-Velha vintages, 2011 stands out — due to every chapter its launch entailed — as the ultimate symbol of our passionate search for perfection”.
Ten years after what was an exceptional vintage in the Douro Region, Barca-Velha 2011 is now unveiled with the same philosophy as its predecessors, where “wine leads the way!”. This expression was coined by Luís Sottomayor, who is also responsible for the decision of bringing Barca-Velha out of the cellar. “After the recorking carried out in September, the wine evidenced an excellent evolution and is already revealing its full bouquet”.
The winemaker's comment came at the end of this week's tasting, which vetted the soon-to-be rolled out Barca-Velha, thus bringing the good news to its fans: Barca-Velha 2011 is here to carry on the dream of Fernando Nicolau de Almeida, who in 1952 decided to create a Douro red wine based on the same quality and ageing philosophy as that of Vintage Ports.
Some twenty vintages later, we have an edition in the Barca-Velha 2011 that does justice to its history, in the opinion of Luís Sottomayor. It is indeed an homage to the art of waiting to discover “a wine filled with drive, with a remarkable maturity, perfectly reflecting the Douro Superior's terroir”.
Casa Ferreirinha Barca-Velha 2011 Tasting Notes Its color is deep ruby. It has a very complex aroma, with prominent spices such as pepper, balsamic notes, cedar and tobacco box, red fruits such as ripe plum, slate and a high quality, well-integrated wood. It has a vibrant acidity in the mouth, very lively, very firm tannins, notes of spices, black fruits, and balsamic flavors. The finish is extremely long, of great elegance and complexity.
Harvest year – 2011 The winter was cold and very rainy, contributing to the replenishment of water reserves in the soil. Between late spring and early autumn, the climate was dry, with two important exceptions, on 21 August and 1 September, which totaled between 35 and 40 mm of rain across the region. The mild summer and the availability of water in the soil allowed a very balanced ripening of the grapes.
Casa Ferreirinha Barca-Velha vintage releases: 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2011.
