Alves de Sousa Vale de Raposa 2017 Tinto Reserva
€ 15.80
| Producer | Alves de Sousa |
| Region | Douro |
| Grapes | Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão, Touriga Franca |
| Ageing | 12 months in used French oak |
| Alcohol | 14.5%vol |
| Serving | 17°C, 20 minutes after opening |
| Drinking window | Up to 8 years after the harvest |
Vale da Raposa Reserva 2017: red fruit, plums and pepper, with a mineral finish.
Tasting note
Deep ruby. Subtle and firm, with red fruit and dark plums, never overly sweet, and a hint of pepper and spice. Fresh and intense, beautifully blended on the palate. Full and dense, with a soft, long, mineral finish and a light touch of coffee.
The story
Quinta do Vale da Raposa borders Quinta da Gaivosa. The family bought its roughly 18 hectares in the late 1980s, and it was here that the first own wine was made in 1991, a white.
The wine aged for 12 months in French oak barrels from Allier and Nevers, on their third use.
Food pairing
Excellent with not-too-heavy meat dishes, such as grilled entrecote or veal in a light sauce. Delicious with roast pork tenderloin with mushrooms, peas and baby carrots.
The producer
Winemaking is a family tradition for Domingos Alves de Sousa: his father Edmundo and his grandfather Domingos were already Douro winegrowers. Trained as a civil engineer, in 1987 he devoted himself fully to the quintas he had inherited. For years he supplied grapes to big houses such as Casa Ferreirinha and Borges. After the crisis of the late 1980s and the disastrous 1988 harvest, he decided to make and bottle his own wine. He built a winery at Quinta da Gaivosa and in 1992 released his first wine, the Quinta do Vale da Raposa Branco 1991.
Revista de Vinhos named him Producer of the Year in 1999 and 2006: he was the first ever to win the title twice. Since 2002 his son Tiago, who holds a doctorate in viticulture, has been the winemaker. The family uses only grapes from its own six quintas: Gaivosa, Vale da Raposa, Caldas, Estação, Aveleira and Oliveirinha.
