A bright red, with a dark, lush well of flavors, including pureed blackberry and creamed cherry, brambly herbs and violet, vanilla, toast and smoke. Ripples across the palate, layered with fine, chalky tannins and lively acidity. Graceful, with seamless knit and a persistent, mineral-laced finish.

From the historic Vesúvio vineyard, created in the 19th century by Dona Antonia Ferreira, this wine is superbly structured with firm tannins and dense black fruits. It needs plenty more time. 

The 2020 vintage was unusual in many ways – the Covid-19 pandemic made every winery a bubble and, for Quinta do Vesúvio’s flagship Douro DOC red wine, the blend accommodated an unusually high percentage of Touriga Nacional (75%). That character comes through in the perfumed, floral/herbal nose, with notes of lavender persisting on the palate, alongside dark plum, cassis and that opulent, sweet mid-palate so characteristic of the Douro. A triumph from a troubled year.

Heady, scented, yet restrained (especially for Nacional); lovely, ripe, almost-exotic fruit, with firm, bold tannins, hefty but not massive in structure, and supple on the finish, with a lovely expression of fresh Douro fruit. - R.M.