At A Glance
- Region
- Douro
- Appellation
- Porto
- Village
- Canelas, near Peso da Régua
- Tawny blend
- Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Barroca
- Signature wine
- Estate tawny Port
- Defining feature
- Estate grown grapes and ageing in the Quinta's own cellars
The Producer
José Fortunato Júnior and Antónia Soares Fortunato devoted their lives to Port at Quinta da Devesa. The Fortunato family acquired the property in 1941, and Quinta da Devesa remains an independent family company.
Luís Rodrigues is the winemaker. Every wine uses grapes grown exclusively on the estate. The range includes aged red and white Ports, Colheitas, Late Bottled Vintage and Vintage. Tawny Port ages in wooden casks at the estate's own cellars, where natural ageing darkens the colour.
Place
Quinta da Devesa lies in Canelas near Peso da Régua, at the boundary between the Baixo Corgo and Cima Corgo subregions. Its vineyards cover 30 hectares and run from 50 to 500 metres in altitude, with north, south and west facing exposures.
South facing vineyards receive more sunshine, while north facing slopes preserve freshness. These different conditions stagger grape maturity, allowing harvest management across the holding before estate grown fruit enters the range's red, white and vintage dated Port styles.
Wines
Quinta da Devesa 10 Years Tawny is a blend of 30% Touriga Franca, 30% Tinta Roriz, 20% Touriga Nacional and 20% Tinta Barroca. The component wines average 10 years of age and mature in old French oak casks of 550 litres.
The wine is sweet, nuanced and developed, with oak, raisins, cinnamon, walnuts, dried figs, honey and orange chocolate. Aromas of marzipan and blanched almonds sit above a hint of spirit. The palate is soft, smooth and rounded, with crème caramel, a creamy opening and a finish marked by grip. Tawny Port at Quinta da Devesa favours acidity and complexity over overt fruitiness.
Beyond this bottle, red Ports extend through 20, 30, 40 and 50 Years expressions. An age indication on tawny Port identifies a blended style matured in wood, with cask ageing shaping the flavour over time. White Ports carry age indications across several levels and apply the same time based category to a white style.
A Colheita is a tawny Port from one harvest year. Quinta da Devesa Porto Late Bottled Vintage 2020 carries one vintage and longer ageing before bottling, while Vintage Port is released as a vintage dated wine intended to develop in bottle. The range separates blended cask maturity, single harvest character and vintage dated bottle ageing.
Final Word
Quinta da Devesa joins estate grown grapes to Port made in several ageing registers, from sweet, cask matured tawny and white styles to Colheita, Late Bottled Vintage and Vintage. Its tawny wines favour acidity and mature flavour over overt fruitiness.