structure and concentrationBoa-Vista Alicante Bouschet
Terroir
Located near Pinhão, on the right bank of the Douro river, Quinta da Boavista has an extraordinary view over the river. It’s one of the most iconic estates in the demarcated region, known not only for its historical connection with the Baron of Forrester, but also for its 36 hectares of high quality vines.
Every year, the oenology team decides to bottle one or two monovarietal wines, with grape varieties that stood out that year.
In 2017, Alicante Bouschet was one of the selected grape varieties. More well-known in the Alentejo wine region, this most popular non-native Portuguese grape variety stood out in the Douro region for its structure and concentration in 2017.
Grape Varieties
The vineyards of Quinta da Boavista are spread over a dazzling geometric setting of terraces built by hand and supported by small schist walls, which is typical of the region. Alicante Bouschet is planted on terraces facing north east, with less afternoon sun exposure. These are the best conditions for balanced growth and longer maturation of the grapes.
It is the most Portuguese foreign grape variety. Originally from France, it is the result of the crossing of Petit Bouchet and Grenache and is one of the most famous dye varieties. When planted in favorable soils and climates, it provides intense wines, with a deep color, good structure, concentration and enormous ageing capacity. At Quinta da Boavista, on the northeast-facing terraces, Alicante Bouschet found the right conditions for balanced and promising development.
Vinification
To ensure the prevalence of the variety’s characteristics and the full control of the process, at Quinta da Boavista we use manual harvesting and manual grape sorting processes, followed by a gentle berry de-stalk and crush. As fermentation reservoirs we have the traditional granite wine presses with foot treading, stainless steel fermentation vats and, for small batches, PVC food containers or fermentation in new 500 litre French wooden barrels. Each of these types of fermentation gives the wine a unique style and personality.
Monovarietals age in 500 liter barrels for 15 to 20 months before bottling. All our wines are sealed under natural cork. This wine is not filtered or cold-stabilized and that is why it can produce a sediment with age.
The wine’s deep and defined colour suggests good concentration. Aromas of red fruit enveloped by fresh notes of spice highlight the wine’s structure and pluck. The mouth is immediately filled with its flavours. Vigorous, velvety and with full tannins, this is a wine with great charisma, engaging and intriguing.
Perfect with red meat, game or cheese dishes.
93
/100 Pts
Monovarietal Alicante isn’t so common in Douro, but who knows—it seems to have potential. This has good concentration without going overboard. It is aromatic and expressive while retaining some acidity. It avoids being stolid, as some can be. The finish is juicy and the fruit is lifted. The serious backbone is never too astringent, but there’s plenty of grip on the finish. I wound up liking this a lot.
