Christie's 2015 Quinta Dona Mafalda Vinhas Velhas

Christie's 2015 Quinta Dona Mafalda Vinhas Velhas Red (Douro) punctuated with 91Points - Editors’ Choice!

“With its 60% Touriga Nacional, this wine has rich, wood-aged perfumed fruit. Black plums and berries come through the tannins and spice to give a ripe character to this big-hearted wine.” 

Ancestral traditions house, Quinta Dona Mafalda is located on the left bank of the Douro River, in the territory of Alto Douro Vinhateiro, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

And it is here that all the magic begins, with the river Douro as a backdrop and a hill that, bathed by the sun, fills our generous energy shale soil, thus enriching the noble grape varieties, planted in about seven hectares.

Quinta do Vallado

Quinta do Vallado, established in 1716, is one of the oldest and most famous "Quintas" in the Douro Valley.

It once belonged to the legendary Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, and still belongs to her descendents. It lies on both banks of the Corgo River, a tributary of the Douro river, near its mouth, close to the town of Peso da Régua.

With 50 ha of vineyards aged from 6 to 15 years and having kept 20 ha of the best old plots, some more than 90 years old, Quinta do Vallado, and it's executives João Ferreira Álvares Ribeiro, Francisco Ferreira (head of agricultural management) and Francisco Olazabal (oenologist), all descendants of Dona Antónia, has achieved internationally acclaimed levels of quality and recognition.

The construction of the new winery and barriques cellar started in 2008 and was concluded in the fall of 2009. It combines state of the art technology with a high quality architecture project, making it one of the must-see places in the Douro valley.

Recent ratings given by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate to Quinta do Vallado's wines, reviewed by Mark Squires:

Vallado Branco 2016: 90 pts.

Vallado Prima Branco 2016: 91 pts.

Quinta do Vallado Reserva Branco 2016: 93-95 pts.

Vallado Rosé Touriga Nacional 2016: 90 pts.

Vallado Douro Superior 2015: 91 pts.

Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional 2015: 93-95 pts.

Quinta do Vallado Tinta Roriz 2015: 93 pts.

Quinta do Vallado Reserva Field Blend 2015: 92-94 pts.

Quinta do Vallado Vinha da Coroa 2015: 93-95 pts.

Vallado Adelaide Porto Vintage 2015: 93-95 pts.

Essência do Vinho - Redealed Top 10 Portuguese Wines

Two Douro wines and one Madeira Wine are the big winners

It is already known the "TOP 10 Portuguese Wines", obtained in the event ESSÊNCIA DO VINHO - PORTO. Wines from the Douro and Madeira regions are the big winners.

The red wine that collected jurors' preferences was the Passagem Grande Reserva 2009, prepared by Quinta das Bandeiras, from very recent vineyards planted in the Upper Douro. Also in the Douro, but in Santa Marta de Penaguião, there is the white wine that obtained the highest accolades, Alves de Sousa Personal 2008. Among the fortified wines, the Barbeito 30 Years Malvasia Vó Vera was the best scored.

The remaining "TOP 10 Portuguese Wines" consists of: 

Quinta de Santiago Alvarinho Reserva 2015, prepared by Nenúfar Real, in Monção, Vinhos Verdes, (second highest white wine); Menino António Alicante Bouschet 2014, produced in Albernôa, Alentejo, by Herdade da Malhadinha Nova (2nd red); Quinta da Touriga Chã 2014, produced by Jorge Rosas in the Douro Superior (3rd red wine); And in the fourth place among the red wines, two ex-aequo - Pedra Cancela Amplitude 2013, elaborated by the Pedra Cancela project in Silgueiros, Dão, and Chryseia 2014, of the Prats & Symington partnership in the Douro. Among the fortified wines, Kopke Colheita 1957, a tawny Port of Sogevinus Fine Wines (2nd place) and Bacalhôa Moscatel de Setúbal Superior 20 Anos 1995, from Bacalhôa Vinhos de Portugal, obtained in the Peninsula of Setúbal (3rd fortified wine). 

Wine had critics of wine and sommeliers from Portugal, Spain, UK, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Poland, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea and Brazil.