Ramos Pinto 2011 Vintage Port

Description

Ramos Pinto 2011 Vintage Port presented in 75cl bottle. A special Port from a classic vintage. It will need decanting. Please read our Guide to Decanting Port.

Ramos Pinto: Established in 1880

Ramos Pinto was founded in 1880 by brothers Antonio and Adriano and has always had a pioneering spirit. In the early 20th century, it became noted for its innovative and enterprising commercial strategies, including the distinctive Art Nouveau advertising campaign. Ramos Pinto is run today by the heirs of these two energetic vintners: Jorge Rosas, Export Director and João Nicolau de Almeida, the oenologist who was responsible for officially identifying the five key grape varieties.

Purchase by Champagne Louis Roederer

In 1990, Ramos Pinto became part of the Champagne Louis Roederer group, which shares a similar family-owned history and has since enjoyed significant investment and further improvements in quality.

Ramos Pinot Quintas

Ramos Pinto Port wines are vinified at Quinta do Bom Retiro, one of four Quintas the company owns, along with Quinta da Urtiga, adjacent to Bom Retiro, Quinta da Ervamoira, in the far upper Douro, and Quinta dos Bons Ares, a cooler site with some of the highest vineyards in the Douro.

Premium Port Vineyards

Ramos Pinto enjoys the distinction of holding the largest proportion of vineyards in relation to its production, giving it a high degree of control over viticultural methods at harvest time. The House tends 187 hectares (460 acres) of prime vineyards in the Alto Corgo and Douro Superior areas of the famed Douro region, the mountainous valleys formed by the Douro River and its tributaries.

A Traditional Vinification

Grapes for the Ramos Vintage 2011 Vintage Port are trodden by foot in traditional stone lagares and this age-old technique allows for the juice of the fruit to be extracted more efficiently and less violently. After having concluded the first steps of vinification, the wines are transported to the historical wine cellars at Vila Nova de Gaia, where they undergo a long ageing process.

Ramos Pinto 2011 Vintage Port

Ramos Pinto 2011 Vintage Port is made from a typical blend of Douro grapes: 50% Touriga Nacional, 32% Touriga Franca, 5% Sousão, 3% Tinta Barroca and 10% comprised of unidentified old vine fruit. The wine is aged for 20 months in oak or chestnut vats before bottling. Residual sugar 90 g/L.

2011 Vintage Report

From Ramos Pinto: “2011 was marked by low rainfall and relatively cool temperatures, with exception to the early summer heat wave. In fact, germination and then the flowering period occurred two weeks earlier than in 2010, giving rise to a vegetative development at the end of April, beginning of May. This advance was maintained throughout the summer, forcing the harvests to start in early August. In all of Ramos Pinto history, this was their earliest harvest ever made. The red wines coming from plantations in Ervamoira (Douro Superior) showed a clear improvement in quality, namely the Touriga Nacional variety, which gives rise to some very elegant wines with a most extraordinary freshness. The majority of the wines from this estate are fresh, concentrated and with plenty of aromas. Generally speaking, the Quinta do Bom Retiro (Cima Corgo) varietals also had an increased quality, particularly with the Touriga Nacional and Sousão; the latter produced more interesting and complex wines. As for the older vines, they were picked at higher temperature, resulting in more mature wines. Misleading with respect to quantities, the harvest of 2011 ultimately provides a broad selection of fresh, fruity, and elegant wines allowing for large possibility of ageing.”