Pulga, Quinta da Romaneira 2023
Tim Atkin MW 95; James Suckling 94 (2024); Grandes Escolhas 93; Wine Enthusiast 90
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Why this wine
The Douro's white grapes are still a well-kept secret, and this is one of the most serious expressions of them: barrel-fermented, lees-stirred and built to reward a few years in the cellar. Romaneira make everything from their own fruit, off old schist terraces, and it shows in the concentration.
At a glance
- Grape
- Boal 75%, Viosinho 15%, Rabigato 10%
- Region
- Douro, Portugal
- Alcohol
- 13.50%
- Body
- Full
- Acidity
- Medium
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Medium (5-10 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Poultry & Pork, Seafood, Cheese
How it tastes
Deep and rich on the palate, carrying the toasted, nutty weight that comes of fermentation in French oak barrels, 60% of them new, and four months stirring on the lees. It is dry and full, creamy in texture rather than sharp, yet a refreshing lift runs underneath and keeps the whole thing in balance. Boal 75%, Viosinho 15%, Rabigato 10%.
The producer
Established in 1757, Quinta da Romaneira is one of the largest estates in the Douro, with 412 hectares and three kilometres of frontage on the river, of which 86 hectares are planted. Christian Seely brought a group of investors together to buy it in 2004, and Andre Esteve has been his sole partner since 2012; the estate has been extensively renovated and replanted, and a new winery was built in 2005 with the original winemaker Antonio Agrellos, now succeeded by his nephew Carlos. The vineyards are terraced into steep schist slopes, a laminated soil poor in organic matter that drains freely and drives roots deep, keeping yields low; the many valleys and promontories give the property several microclimates and a range of exposures, the white vines average fifteen years, and the gradient means everything is picked by hand. The three varieties are picked and fermented separately, all of the wine fermented with cultured yeasts in French oak barrels, 60% new, over 21 days, followed by four months of batonnage and a partial malolactic fermentation. 2023 marked a shift from the four preceding years of high temperatures and low yields, the winter rainfall before it replenishing soil moisture and aquifers after the exceptionally arid 2022.
Food and drinking
Serve at 10-12°C, a little warmer than a light white, so the texture has room to show. It suits roast chicken, grilled sea bass, veal and hard sheep's cheeses. Drink over the next five to ten years; no decanting needed, though a large glass helps. Sealed with a DIAM cork. Suitable for vegetarians.