{"product_id":"casa-ferreirinha-reserva-especial-2017-douro-6x750ml","title":"Casa Ferreirinha Reserva Especial 2017, Douro, 3x750ml","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eWith stocks of 2015 Barca Velha almost depleted (i have just one case left), I am delighted to offer it’s \u003cem\u003enon-identical\u003c\/em\u003e twin sister, the newly released \u003cstrong\u003eReserva Especial 2017.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMany wines the world over are whimsically suffixed ‘Reserva’ or ‘Especial’ for marketing reasons\u003c\/strong\u003e and to rather lazily imply a superior quality. However, the Casa Ferreirinha Reserva Especial really is a \u003cstrong\u003e‘Special Reserve’\u003c\/strong\u003e in every sense of the two words, as \u003cstrong\u003eit is essentially a declassified Barca Velha\u003c\/strong\u003e, with many of the hallmarks of Portugal’s ‘First Growth’, and the difference in quality is far, far smaller than the difference in price!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOnly produced in truly exceptional vintages, the Reserva Especial is made in exactly the same way as Barca Velha\u003c\/strong\u003e, 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 \u003cstrong\u003efirst vintage of the Reserva Especial was the 1960 and the 2017 was only the 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e vintage released.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe grapes are all hand-picked, rigorously sorted, and vinified separately (by grape variety or by vineyard plot) at the \u003cstrong\u003eQuinta da Leda winery\u003c\/strong\u003e. 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBoth wines essentially start as the same liquid\u003c\/strong\u003e, 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 - \u003cstrong\u003esince 1960, only 21 vintages of Barca Velha and 19 vintages of Reserva Especial have been released\u003c\/strong\u003e. James Suckling has called it a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #008000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Superb Douro Red\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e and the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #008000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Latour of the Douro\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e. \u003c\/strong\u003ePreviously declared vintages include 1960, 1962, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2014.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNo critic's notes or scores are yet out for the 2017, but i having tasted the wine alongside a glorious bottle of 2007 with the winemaker at lunch yesterday, i am expecting some big scores!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2017 VINTAGE REPORT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn the words of head winemaker Luís Sottomayor,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #008000;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e“The 2017 revealed an \u003cstrong\u003eextraordinary character\u003c\/strong\u003e from the very first moment.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe 2017 vintage in the Douro was particularly warm and dry, with average temperatures 5ºC higher than average, and almost every month from December 2016 to August 2017 recording below average rainfall. These conditions accelerated the growing cycle of the vines and, coupled with heat waves in June and July, also advanced the ripening of the grapes. The resulting harvest was one of the earliest on record, beginning on 22nd August.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eLuís Sottomayor made the decision to declare 2017 ‘Reserva Especial’ in January 2026, marking the 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e vintage of ‘Reserva Especial’ produced.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(43, 0, 255);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping in October 2026\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cellar Select","offers":[{"title":"In Bond (For Storage)","offer_id":53527624974664,"sku":null,"price":660.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Duty Paid inc VAT (For UK Delivery)","offer_id":53527625007432,"sku":null,"price":660.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Pre-Arrival (In Bond - For Storage)","offer_id":53527625040200,"sku":null,"price":660.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0936\/7391\/4696\/files\/CasaFerreirinhaReservaEspecial.jpg?v=1769519701","url":"https:\/\/www.cellarselect.co.uk\/products\/casa-ferreirinha-reserva-especial-2017-douro-6x750ml","provider":"Cellar Select","version":"1.0","type":"link"}