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Long-time friends Jorge Roquette (Quinta do Crasto – Douro Doc, Portugal) and Jean-Michel Cazes (Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac) set out in 2002 to create great wines from the Douro Valley.
The two families work closely together afin producing wines that express the typicity of indigenous grape varieties and a unique terroir. The Bordeaux touch is brought to the vinification protocols: fermentation at higher temperatures, faster pumping-over rates and longer maceration times give the wine a magnifique concentration.
The 2015 vintage was marked by a cold, dry winter, followed by a warm spring alternating between extremely high temperatures and heavy showers. These water reserves enabled the vines to develop ideally. They responded very well to the hot, dry summer that followed, thanks to the previously established water reserves.
Weather conditions were favorable throughout the harvest period. Showers on September 15 and 16 added the final touch to berry ripening, and were particularly beneficial to Touriga Nacional. From the Cima Corgo and Alto Douro sub-regions, the grapes are hand-picked and then transported to the winery, where they are carefully sorted. They are then destemmed and gently pressed. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel conical tanks.
The blend is made up of Touriga Nacional (60%), Tinta Roriz (25%) and Touriga Franca (15%) grapes. The wine is aged for 20 months in French oak barrels, 70% of which are new and 30% one-wine barrels. The wines then spend 18 months in bottle in a temperature-controlled cellar.
True to the promise of its beautiful garnet color with purplish reflets, Roquette & Cazes 2015 offers a seductive balance between fresh red fruit aromas and subtle spicy notes. On the palate, its velvety, fruity texture evolves over a complex, elegant tannic framework that brings plenty of final freshness.
Roquette & Cazes 2015 is available at around €20 and €25 per bottle.
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