Quinta dos Roques

“I am tempted to say Quinta dos Roques is the Ch. Latour to the Ch. Margaux of Quinta da Pellada, but I would quite understand Portuguese frustration at this observation.” Jancis Robinson

”A revolution has been taking place in the vineyards and cellars of Portugal. . . nothing short of astonishing!” says Jancis Robinson, foremost authority on grape varietals in her latest book, Jancis Robinson Tastes the Best Portuguese Table Wines.

DÃO WINE REGION: In the center of Portugal, the Dão is one of the country’s oldest and most famous wine regions. Grapes are grown in very granitic soil, the best in the foothills of the Serra da Estrela mountains. Many vineyards are planted on south facing slopes to take full advantage of the sun. Sheltered by mountains, creating its own micro-climate, the high plateau of the Dão enjoys hot, dry summers and very cold winters with good rainfall. Other than a few estates like Roques, 90% of the vineyards are one hectare or less, separated by small villages and pine forests. Encruzado, Malvasia Fina, Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Jaen(Tinta Mencia), Roriz(Tempranillo) & Tinta Cão are the leading grape varieties.

QUINTA DOS ROQUES and its co-owned winery, Quinta das Maias, lead this revolution with high quality wines and innovation in producing the first group of seriously regarded Portuguese varietals that have set the standard for all the rest of the producers and greatly reduced the reliance on often ill-matched field blends.

As a result of this innovation, Roques’ founder and owner Manuel Oliveira was named ”Producer of the Year” in 1996 by the foremost Portuguese national wine magazine. The 1996 Touriga Nacional from Roques was acclaimed one of the ten best wines of the twentieth century by The Quarterly Review of Wines.  Recently, the 2003 vintage received a gold medal from Decanter magazine and the 2005 three gold medals/trophies in the 2007 International Wine Challenge in London, rated the best Portuguese red wine.

Located at Abrunhosa do Mato (between Nelas and Mangualade), Quinta dos Roques’ 100 acres of winery and vineyards spread out in 12 plots over the 1400-foot elevation of the granitic hills at this center of the Dão wine region.

General manager, Luís Lourenço, notes that the grapes pick up a hint of the aroma and flavor of the surrounding pine forests and some eucalyptus trees. He is assisted by cellar master Joao Santiago, winemaker Rui Reguinga and his father-in-law, Manuel Oliveira, whose passion for the vineyards has led him to become one of the region’s top viticulturists. The vines age from 5 to 30 years with the oldest vines of several varietals located in the premiere 7.5 acre Peachtree Vineyard, which are used for reserve and garrafeira bottlings. (Uniquely, these varietals ripen at the same time in this “field-blend” vineyard, while being as much as two weeks apart in the vineyards with separate varietal plots.)

Since 1993 the team of Santiago, joined by Reguinga in 2002 have taken the already very good quality up several notches, working along with Oliveira in the vineyards and under Lourenco’s overall guidance. This includes more thorough green pruning, and separating the grapes from the different plots of vines to maximize production quality. The vineyards are managed to nearly organic standards, qualifying as “sustainable agriculture” through monitoring pests to a certain tolerance, resulting in only a rare use insecticides. While limiting the quantity of production, these factors insure the high quality of the Roques’ wines.

From the tasting pavilion overlooking the largest vineyard, it is not uncommon to hear blasting, as new vineyards are added by literally “blowing-up” the hillside granite, which becomes a “soil” of granitic sand combined with some schist and clay. Just a short walk from the winery, the pavilion was cleverly constructed to adjoin the existing stone building in the vineyard that spans the more than 100 years of Roques’ history.

About 75% of the vineyards are devoted to red grape varietals, dominated by Touriga Nacional (40%), followed by Roriz (Tempranillo), Alfrocheiro, Jaen (Tinta Mencia), Tinto Cão and Tinta Pinheira. The remaining 25% are white varietals, where the Encruzado prevails (40%), followed by Malvasia Fina, Bical and Cercial. As you walk through the vineyards, each plot of varietals is readily identified by its characteristics - Touriga Nacional shows a relatively wild growth with shoots coming out at all angles; Jaen’s small leaves have a light-green hue; and Tinta Cão has larger dark green leaves.

Total wine production from the Roques vineyards averages 150,000 liters, which is bottled under Quinta dos Roques or Quinta do Correio labels. The Roques labels are devoted to the best selections of each year of harvest, with oak ageing of the red wines. The Correio labels, perforated around the edges like an oversize postage stamp, reflect the sense of fun in naming it after a former old posting (correio) station in the vineyard, and in producing a wine that is ready to drink in its fresh youth without ageing in oak.

TASTING NOTES FOR CURRENT VINTAGES in stock

Quinta dos Roques 2005 Tinto - Undoubtedly the most popular Dão wine we have seen, regardless of price! Roques has set a new standard for Dão wines. A blend of Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Jaen, and Roriz(Tempranillo). Aged 15 months in new French oak. Comments about previous vintages -2003 Vintage -- “A hugely dark wine with solid bitter chocolate flavors & layers of dry tannins. From the granite soils of the home estate of Quinta dos Roques. Dry wood flavors & black plum fruits.” 91 pts Wine Enthusiast

“Beautiful satin mouthful,” Jeff Frees, special correspondent to the Quarterly Review of Wines. Long, ambrosial flavors, balanced with tannin and a hint of vanilla from the French oak. “Well deserved attention . . .rich red color, lush fruity nose and complex flavors. . . typifies the viticultural revolution that has been raging since the late 80’s.” Richard Kinssies, Seattle P-I, Tip of the Week “. . . a lovely vivacity on the nose. . .a suggestion of plums preserved in brandy on this extremely flirtatious wine that could give pleasure already.” Jancis Robinson, The Best Portuguese Table Wines.

Single Varietal Collector’s Releases:

Collector’s Releases are offered in heavy burgundy-style bottles with distinctive yellow capsules and are only produced in small quantities of 1200 to 12,000 botttes in the best vintage years.

Quinta dos Roques Encruzado 2006/07 - Fresh, clean nose on a spectacular white with undertones of lemony citrus and melon. 5 months on oak. “Oak has certainly not been stinted on this hand somely packaged wine in its ultra-heavy burgundy bottle, but on the palate there is also plenty of sprightly fruit and acidity. . . I would cite this as one of the best, typically Portuguese whites.” Jancis Robinson, The Best Portuguese Table Wines 90 pts Wine Enthusiast “The best white grape in the Dão, Encruzado is now leading the varietal charge & looks set to become one of Portugal’s favored varieties. The wines have a flavour akin to apples & pears, with a depth & breadth able to take some new oak. . . Quinta dos Roques’ ripe, burgundian-style Encruzado has already been rightly earmarked as one of Portugal’s leading whites.” Best Wines, Decanter Magazine “A hearty, ripe wine, packed with flavors of green plums, layers of wood, spice and a complex herbal character. This is rich, intense, and full- bodied, great with food.” 90 pts — Wine Enthusiast.

Quinta do Roques 2000/03 Reserva - Select old vine grapes from Roques Peachtree vineyard. Complex red wine with deep color, cedar nose, undertones of tobacco & leather with a strong Touriga Nacional influence. Smoky bacon finish. Very limited. Rated one of the three Best Reds of the Dão, 10 Best of Portugal and a runner-up to The 12 Best Wines in the World by an international panel organized by the Portuguese Academy of Gastronomy in which Jancis Robinson was a judge.

Quinta dos Roques Tinta Roriz 2000 - (Tempranillo) “100% from the rare & valued Port wine varietal. Husky aromas at the beginning. Good quality French oak (10 mos), discreet & well-blended, embracing elegant ripe cherries, spices & a light creamy touch. Intense on the palate, with overtones of cherry & plum, good acidity & tannins with a long, fruity finish.” João Afonso, Portuguese Wines “A great, sweet, Porty wine, soft and immediately fruity. There’s a big, ripe, generous fruit with great acidity and lovely, ripe, red-berry flavors. Wood tannins at the heart give structure to the juicy fruit; it should age well over the next five years.” 90 Pts Wine Enthusiast Buyng Guide “Deep, healthy crimson and a seductive nose redolent of leather and sap.” Jancis Robinson

Quinta dos Roques Alfrocheiro 2003 - (Special Release) The best vintage ever, but very limited quantity. Found mainly in Nelas, this variety rivals Touriga as a strong factor in the excellence of the premium wines produced here. No leeway on this varietal! Either it’s right or not! In this case it definitely IS! It has a small genetic footprint - the smallest in the Dão - produces a leather nose, deep, rich color and wines that are fruity, aromatic and lively with a hint of eucalyptus. Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar described the ‘96 as “Bright, deep ruby red. Deep raspberry nose, with notes of maple syrup and smoky, spicy oak. Sweet, deeply spicy raspberry flavor given lift by firm acids. Finishes with very good length.” - “Lively, mid-crimson still with some shades of purple. The nose suggests stewed prunes, chestnuts and some wood. The texture is extremely smooth, this is a wine for early drinking by sensualists.” Jancis Robinson

Quinta dos Roques Touriga Nacional 2002 - Considered the best of the Dão and Port varietals, with rich color, a powerful aroma with a hint of black currants, a full, individual flavor of licorice and ripe berry fruits,and plenty of tannin. Producing full-bodied fruity wines, this noble grape is considered by Jancis Robinson to be the equal of Cabernet Sauvignon. Previously rated 94 points by Wine & Spirits and described by Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar as “Very good, deep, ruby-red. Intensely spicy black raspberry nose.. Tangy, dense, and very concentrated in the mouth. ripe flavors of blackberry, espresso bean, maple syrup and smoky, spicy oak are sharply defined. Has sound underlying structure for aging. Finishes with palate-staining length. A complete wine, and the most impressive of the current crop of releases from touriga nacional.” 1996 rated among “Best 10 Wines of the Last Century,” Quarterly Review of Wines

Quinta dos Roques 2003 Garrafeira (Grand Reserve) - An elegant and complex wine with briary nose and flavors of black currants and cherries. Produced from low yield vines only when all varietals have reached a unique quality, this is the ultimate expression of Roques expertise. Made from 50% Touriga Nacional, 20% Alfrocheiro, 20% Tinta Roriz/Tempranillo, 5% Jaen/Tinta Mencia and 5% Tinta Cão. Aged 13 months in new French Oak. Only 400 cases produced.

SOLD OUT

Quinta dos Roques Touriga Nacional 2005 (Collector’s Release) wins three Gold Medals at the prestigious 2007 INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE in London. The first gold medal was awarded for the quality of the wine itself against all contenders from all countries.  The second gold Trophy medal for being the best red wine of Portugal’s Dão wine region, and the third Trophy gold medal for being the best red wine of Portugal! 

Wineworth received this fabulous Touriga Nacional in the Fall of 2007, but almost immediately sold out our allocation, since only 400 cases were produced, from which the USA has to share with other markets around the world.

Roques Touriga Nacional Collector’s Release continues to lead the rave for this varietal from Portugal, with it’s Gold Medal from Decanter magazine for the 2003 vintage and starting with its first release of the 1996 vintage that was rated among the 10 best wines of the last century by the Quarterly Review of Wines.

Touriga Nacional is one of the most challenging varietals - for an entire crop can easily be lost to adverse weather and growing conditions.  It is only fitting that Roques dominates the producers of the best Touriga Nacional, since the varietal originated in the Dão, although much more is produced in the Porto e Douro wine region, where it is the leading varietal for Port wine as well as Douro wine.  In recent years, it has become the most sought after varietal in Portugal with producers throughout Portugal making fine single varietals and blends.  A major California producer has also planted Portuguese cuttings of Touriga Nacional from the Dão.