Casa Ferreirinha announces the launch of the Reserva Especial 2017. This is the 19th vintage of this wine, first produced in 1960, and a wine that expresses the identity and craftsmanship of Casa Ferreirinha in the Upper Douro.
Time has refined the wine, and altitude has defined its style. The Casa Ferreirinha Reserva Especial 2017 is now hitting the market after approximately 2 years of aging in oak and nearly 7 years of bottle aging. It is made primarily from grapes from Quinta da Leda and high-altitude plots in the Meda region, during a distinctly hot and dry growing season, with temperatures about 5°C above normal. In 2017, the accelerated pace of ripening required particularly close monitoring in the vineyard and the winery, maintaining Casa Ferreirinha’s usual rigor.
“Releasing a Special Reserve is a rare privilege and a decision that never follows a schedule—only the wine itself. It is one of the few moments when we decide to pause and make a statement, and that is why we approach it with great joy and, above all, a deep sense of responsibility,” says Fernando da Cunha Guedes, President of Sogrape.
The Casa Ferreirinha Special Reserve 2017 displays a deep ruby color. On the nose, it reveals excellent intensity and complexity, where ripe black and red fruit blends with notes of cocoa, chocolate, truffle, and the classic sous-bois, complemented by spices such as pepper and clove. On the palate, it stands out for its excellent body, firm, high-quality tannins, and perfectly integrated acidity. The finish is powerful and extremely long. “2017 was a very hot year in the Upper Douro—and that is precisely why this wine surprised us from the start. It was a balance we earned, not one the vintage offered: the altitude, along with the work in the vineyard and the winery, allowed us to preserve freshness in an extremely challenging context. Still, the vintage left a clear mark: a profile of great delicacy and elegance. On the palate, it clearly belongs to the Barca-Velha universe; yet, its structure and expression of the vintage pointed toward Reserva Especial,” says winemaker Luís de Sottomayor. Lourenço Charters, who has been working with Luís de Sottomayor and deepening his understanding of the same winemaking philosophy, adds: “Technique guides, but experience decides. There comes a moment when the wine ceases to be a process and becomes intuition.”
The blend, composed of the Touriga Franca (48%), Touriga Nacional (35%), Sousão (7%), Tinto Cão (5%), and Tinta Roriz (5%), aged for about 18 months in French oak barrels. At Casa Ferreirinha, tasting dictates the timeline: before its release, the wine aged in the bottle under the watchful eye of the winemaking team until it began to reveal its true character, already displaying harmony and definition. And that moment has now arrived. From here on, it will continue to evolve positively in the bottle: it is expected to reach its peak in 15 to 20 years and maintain its peak quality for decades.
More than just a new vintage, the 2017 Reserva Especial reaffirms Casa Ferreirinha’s place among the world’s great wines and reinforces the Douro as one of the world’s leading wine regions.