Many wines the world over are whimsically suffixed ‘Reserva’ or ‘Especial’ for marketing reasons and to rather lazily imply a superior quality. However, the Casa Ferreirinha Reserva Especial really is a ‘Special Reserve’ in every sense of the two words, as it is essentially a declassified Barca Velha, with many of the hallmarks of Portugal’s ‘First Growth’, and the difference in quality is far, far smaller than the difference in price!

Only produced in truly exceptional vintages, the Reserva Especial is made in exactly the same way as Barca Velha, from a blend of 45% Touriga Franca , 30% Touriga Nacional, 15% Tinta Roriz, 10% Tinto Cão from prime plots on the Quinta da Leda estate, with some fruit sourced from neighbouring vineyards at slightly higher altitude. The first vintage of the Reserva Especial was the 1960 and the 2014 was only the 18^th vintage released.

The grapes are all hand-picked, rigorously sorted, and vinified separately (by grape variety or by vineyard plot) at the Quinta da Leda winery. A cold pre-fermentation maceration and an extended post-fermentation maceration on the skins ensure full aromatic and polyphenolic extraction – enhancing the wines’ smooth tannin structure and pronounced flavours. Following fermentation, the wine is transferred to cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, where it undergoes 12 to 18 months of ageing in 225-litre new French oak barrels before bottling.

Both wines essentially start as the same liquid, and after its ageing in barrel, it is transferred to unlabelled bottles to be tasted regularly by the team, who will decide over the next decade, or so, whether to bottle as Barca Velha, as Reserva Especial or to simply declassify the wine. And this is not a decision taken lightly - since 1960, only 21 vintages of Barca Velha and 18 vintages of Reserva Especial have been released. James Suckling has called it a "Superb Douro Red" and the "Latour of the Douro," scoring a huge 98 points - the 2014 might just be the best ever.

N.B. This wine is not currently in stock but can be ordered, usually for delivery within a few weeks -  please email info@cellarselect.co.uk for availability and lead time, or it will be confirmed after an order is placed.