First taste: Quinta dos Murças VV47 Red 2012 (Douro)

When I last reported on the wines of Quinta dos Murças, I commented that I liked their freshness and restraint, but would like to see a little more personality come through.  Well, I shall keep the comments coming because the new top cuvée – VV47 – has personality in spades!  

Though he presented me with a sneak preview of the yet-to-be-labelled Douro red in December, José Moreira da Silva (pictured) cannot take credit for it. He only arrived at Murças in vintage 2015.  But I can think of no better person than this professorial looking winemaker to explain what lies behind its personality. In a word, assobio.  A word which gives its name to the quinta’s entry level wines, though it is perhaps better suited to this one.

Meaning whistle, assobio refers to the pronounced winds which whistle through the vineyards, toughening up the grape skins.  These winds are particularly pronounced at 400m at the top of the quinta, the source of VV47. In fact Moreira da Silva even showed us a video of it gusting over the slopes (it’s visible because of the dust it invariably picks up).

Quinta dos Murças VV47 comes from one of 57 plots in the 69ha hectare vineyard and, if things go to plan, will be the first of a series of single plot wines (already, each plot is vinified separately in 500 to 2000l batches “to understand the terroir).”   Moreira da Silva observes, “with very different places inside the quinta our challenge is to express that and our main goal is to do it in an organic way, with no inoculation and no acid.” 

A number of factors account for this diversity of terroir.  The estate’s “very wavy slopes” rise from 90-450m, transitioning from very rocky, poor schist to granite soils.  Varietally speaking, as well as “lots of old field blend vineyards” (which incorporate big patches of Tinta Cão and Tinta Francisca), there are young block planted parcels too.

In case you are wondering about the name VV47, it refers both to the age of the plot which produces the wine and its type of trellising. Planted in 1947, Murças claims this densely planted plot (6000 vines/ha) was the Douro’s first vertical vineyard (“vinha ao alto”) – i.e. the vine rows run perpendicularly up the hillside, as opposed to along terraces.  Pointing out a big advantage of vinha ao alto, Moreira da Silva says vertically planted vines are exposed to the sun all day, unlike terraces,.  He also reckons that, thanks to the natural cover crop (grasses etc between the rows), erosion is no worse than for the terraced vineyards in this vertiginous, mountainous region.

In common with the estate’s other premium reds, VV47 is foot-trodden in lagares and, after a three day cold soak, allowed to run to ferment.  Also in common with the Reserva 2011 and 2013 sample (which I tasted beforehand), it has a savoury, very mineral expression with a freshness which Moreira da Silva attributes to the varietal mix, poor soils (the property has two mines) and the estate’s location within the Douro.

Elaborating that the minerals in the soil influence the acidity of the must, the winemaker also pointed out that Murças is “in the beginning [west] of the Cima Corgo, which is important to freshness…between here and Pinhão there is 5-10 degrees difference in temperature.”  The outcome of this relative coolness is long cycles in the vineyard, which he equates with more complex wines with a savoury, spicy intensity.

Quinta dos Murças VV47 Red 2012 (Covelinhas, Cima Corgo, Douro)

The 1947 parcel is a field blend with mainly Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Sousão; it was aged for 18 months in barrel, then 18 months in bottle.  It’s a very deep colour,with a bright pink rim – youthful.  In the mouth it has the distinctive savouriness and fine, persistent acidity which I found in the two Reservas.  An acidity/fluidity which makes for an energetic palate, initially tightly coiled, with lovely intensity of juicy wild bilberry, black currant and berry, red cherry and juniper.  Layers of spice, herbs, minerals and flowers bring great complexity and length – coltsfoot, Campari herbals, coriander seed, curry leaf and rock rose, even a hint of mulch.  A touch of bitter chocolate too.  With its fine but powerful charge of powdery tannins, this wine has a long, I reckon distinguished, life ahead.  It looked fantastic on day three.  14.5%