Quinta de Azevedo Honra 2022
Quinta de Azevedo Honra
Region: Vinho Verde, Portugal
Vintage: 2022
Bottle size: 75cl
Grape: Alvarinho and Loureiro
ABV: 13.5%
Notes: Vegetarian
The ‘Honra’ is the estate’s top wine, only produced in outstanding vintages. Bright yellow in colour with youthful hues, this wine has highly complex aromas of peach and exotic fruit, balanced by notes of dried fruit and honey, which meld harmoniously with notes of spice from extended oak ageing. On the palate, it boasts excellent structure, intensity and length, with an enveloping creaminess, enhanced by well-integrated acidity and ending in a remarkably long and elegant finish.
This wine is produced from the top Alvarinho and Loureiro grapes from the Quinta de Azevedo vineyards, which are planted on unique transitional schist soils. These are a rarity in the Minho region (where cooler granite soils predominate), and allow the grapes to ripen more fully, evenly and earlier. Leaving behind the traditional high-trained pergolas of the region, the Quinta de Azevedo vineyards were devised using a modern cordon-trained system, to ensure better exposure of the grapes and aeration of the vine canopy, resulting in riper and healthier fruit at harvest. The vineyards are farmed following sustainable practices, with cover crops planted between the vines rows to help to improve soil health, absorb excess rainwater and encourage biodiversity in the vineyard.
Upon arrival at the winery, the hand-picked grapes were cooled and destemmed prior to pressing. Only the free-run juice (the highest quality must) was selected, which underwent three to five days of cold static decanting (with the lees being removed within 24 hours). Fermentation was carried out at controlled temperatures between 14-16°C for 21 days. The varieties were aged separately on fine lees for eight months in 500 litre barrels, both new and used. After blending, the wine spent a further eight months ageing in 1,200 litre casks on fine lees, before being bottled. The wine spent 14 months ageing in bottle prior to release.
The Azevedo estate is located in the Vinho Verde sub-region of Cávado, just 25 kilometres from the Atlantic coast. The land was granted to the Azevedo family by royal decree in the 12th century and the manor house and tower (seen on the labels) date back to the 15th century. However, this fantastic history is in contrast to a very modern approach to viticulture and winemaking.
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