Delaforce Vintage Ports are produced only in years of outstanding quality and represent a selection of the very best wines of the harvest, chosen for their ability to continue improving for many decades in the bottle. Their elegance and balance are achieved by the selection of the very best grapes from our vineyards in the Cima Corgo area of the Douro Valley.
Style:
The Delaforce Vintage Ports are very pure in feel, more delicate and feminine and privilege the elegant and fruity character opposed to austere power and structure. Typically, with notes of cassis, plum, boysenberry, licorice and earth hints, the wines are refined and long and whilst approachable young, they offer great ageing potential.
Vineyard location & varieties:
Old vine parcels with a mixture of Douro classic red grapes located in the Rio Torto & Roncão Valleys in the Cima Corgo, planted at lower altitude with south exposure. In years of exceptional quality when Delaforce Vintage Port is produced, the grapes selected represent the finest choice of fruit from centenary old vines.
Wine Making & Ageing:
Grapes selected for the Delaforce Vintage Port are placed in the traditional “lagares” (granite tanks) and foot trodden before fermentation starts. Due to the limited timeframe between fermentation starting and having to fortify the must (usually 2 to 4 days), there is a need to ensure maximum extraction of tannins, colour and aromas. The traditional granite “lagares”, which, due to their size and format, allow for perfect contact between the must and the grape skins, which combined with regular “punch down” pf skins, ensure the necessary extraction. Fermentation is interrupted through the addition of wine brandy leading to a final ageing stage of 2 years in oak vats.
Food Pairing:
Blue cheeses and dark chocolate desserts.
