Grape Varieties:
Moscatel Galego, Códega do Larinho, Rabigato

Winemaking:
The grapes, chosen from selected plots, are taken to the winery in 22 kg plastic boxes. On arrival in the winery they are rigorously inspected on a sorting table. The grapes are then destemmed and pressed. The must is transferred to stainless steel vats where it remains for 48 hours at 8oC for decanting. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats at 14oC for 20 days.

Ageing:
In stainless steel vats.

Viticultural Year:
After the hot and dry year of 2017, the winter of 2018 brought little relief in terms of precipitation. In fact, there was hardly any rain at all from October 2017 until February 2018. Then, the first rains began late in the month and continued in abundance until mid-June.
The spring was wet and mild in temperature, which led to considerable problems with mildew between flowering and fruit set. This was an unusual problem for most Douro Valley grape growers. We had to ready to act at precisely the right moment, as there was no margin of error in controlling for vineyard health.

At the end of July came the véraison, and the grapes began to ripen. August was hot and dry. Thank- fully, the spring rains had left soil water reserves that allowed the vines to do their job and produce an excellent canopy. Outstanding grape ripeness was the result. Cold nights and hot, dry September days allowed late-ripening grape varieties such as Touriga Franca to reach excellent levels of ripeness.

The 2018 harvest began with the arrival of the first white grapes from Quinta do Crasto on August 29, and we wrapped up on October 14 with the last grapes from the highest altitude vineyards.
On balance, 2018 brought exceptional balance and freshness to our white wines; our reds turned out concentrated, with outstanding structure and freshness, and clearly defined aromas. The Port wines show excellent ageing potential.