Quinta da Pedra Alta, Douro
Website: https://www.qpa.pt/
Based in the Cima Corgo of the Douro region in Portugal, Pedra Alta is a new quinta for me – I haven’t tried their wines before. Back in 1761, the Marques de Pombal dished out stone markers (feitorias) to delineate the Douro wine region, marking the best part of it. And Quinta da Pedra Alta is the only vineyard in the Douro to have three of these granite markers, known as Marcos Pombalinos, on its property.
They have 35 hectares of terraced vineyards, from 500 m to 250 m in altitude. From this they make a range of wines with modern packaging. These are my notes.
THE WINES
Quinta da Pedra Alta Pedra a Pedra Alta Branco 2018 Douro, Portugal
12.5% alcohol. 52% Rabigato, 48% Gouveio. This is bright and fruity, with a lovely citrus core and some stony, savoury notes as well as focused, bright fruity characters. There’s nice pear and citrus fruit, but it also has fresh acidity and a mineral, savoury finish. 91/100
Quinta da Pedra Alta Reserva Branco 2018 Douro, Portugal
12.5% alcohol. Viosinho in new French oak, Fernao Pires in old French oak, and Rabigato and Gouveio in stainless steel. This is complex and layered with grapefruit and lemon notes, as well as some crystalline character. This reminds me a bit of a very fine white Bordeaux, with well-integrated oak. Such a multidimensional white with really good balance. Finishes with fine spices. 92/100
Quinta da Pedra Alta Pedra a Pedra Alta Tinto 2017 Douro, Portugal
50% Touriga Franca, 44% Touriga Nacional, 5% Tinta Barocca, 1% Fernão Pires. 13.5% alcohol. This is a fruit-driven, balanced expression of the Douro with supple black cherry and blackberry fruit. There are some fine herbal notes here with a bit of tarry, tannic grip. There’s a citrus note, with some orange peel and grapefruit pith, as well as juicy red cherry and berry fruits. It’s fresh and quite elegant with massive drinkability. Holds up really well on day two and even improves a little. 92/100
Quinta da Pedra Alta Reserva Tinto 2017 Douro, Portugal
13.5% alcohol. This is 74% Touriga Nacional, 13% Sousao, 13% Touriga Franca. This shows lovely concentration with dense black cherry and blackberry fruit, as well as some amazing floral overtones. Concentrated and textural with subtle green hints (a Touriga character) with some olive and spice, as well as a touch of tar and spice, as well as sleek black cherry fruit. This is an impressive Douro red, with lots of Touriga character and nice weight and texture. Modern-styled but balanced and delicious. 93/100
Quinta da Pedra Alta White Port Pedra No 3 NV Douro, Portugal
18% alcohol. Nicely packaged in a 500 ml bottle with a Vino-Lok closure. This is a very fresh, pure expression of white Port. It’s bright with nice sweet lemon, pear and melon notes, as well as a touch of waxiness. There’s also some orange peel character, and a touch of almond, too. A really nice example of white Port. 91/100
Quinta da Pedra Alta Alta No 10 Ten Year Old Tawny Port NV Douro, Portugal
19.5% alcohol. The only estate to have three ‘feitoria’, which were the stones demarcating the best vineyards of the Douro, put here in 1761. Nicely packaged in a modern bottle, this is sweet, soft and mellow with raisin, red cherry and strawberry fruit as well as some melon notes. Sweet and generous with nice depth, and some woody complexity on the finish. An elegant style. 92/100
UK availability: https://www.winebuyers.com/suppliers/quinta-da-pedra-alta
