February was particularly warm, with temperatures at least 2☌ above than the 30-year average. While winter and early spring rainfall were roughly in line with the average, the temperatures were higher than usual. Our yields (Kg/vine) across our quintas were 3.7% above the 10-year average. The agility of our viticultural and winemaking teams meant we still managed to harvest our best performing parcels at the optimum moments. This proved to be one of the key decisions as it meant we harvested our finest parcels of Touriga Franca before the month’s third bout of rain at the end of September. We were particularly pleased with this decision as the grapes came into the winery at an ideal 13° and 14° baumé.Īs predicted, we started picking the Touriga Franca (usually a late ripening variety) at the same time as the Touriga Nacional at some of our estates, including Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos. After pausing picking for a few days, we started harvesting the Touriga Nacional on the 18th. On the 13th and 14th of September, unsettled conditions returned with further rain, ranging from 20mm in our Cima Corgo quintas to just over 30mm in the Douro Superior. This was largely beneficial, and we slowed the pace of picking from the outset of the harvest to allow the vines to make best use of the rain. We experienced heavy rainfall on the 1st and 2nd September – with as much as 40mm in the Douro Superior. This was followed shortly afterwards by the Alicante Bouschet. We started harvesting the Sousão on the 30th of August, which produced some stunning wines.
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