Terroir of Project Roquette & Cazes

AN OUTSTANDING TERROIR IN THE DOURO VALLEY
The Douro valley is a unique location with steep slopes and deep valleys. Here, the countryside is composed of cultivated slopes where wine growing plays a prominent role. Cultivated on uninterrupted terraces and supported by low walls, the vineyards carve the landscape to perfection.

The geological formations consist mainly of schist and granitic intrusions. The roots of the vines slip deep down into the vertical cracks in the schist and are thus able to absorb the amount of water needed to withstand Portugal’s hot, dry summers.

THE BEST KNOWN PORTUGUESE RED GRAPE VARIETY
The Douro wine-growing region boasts a wide diversity of local grape varieties. Portugal’s best red variety, the Touriga Nacional delivers an excellent bouquet combining blackberry and elderberry and imbues the wine with complexity and elegance. The Touriga Franca lends the wine its fragrant character and persistent fruitiness, whilst the Tinta Roriz brings original aromas.

The hand-harvested grapes of the wines of the project Roquette & Cazes come from vines located in the subregions of Cima Corgo and Douro Superior. Vines are planted in Douro’s traditional terraces (socalcos and patamares).

QUINTA DA CABREIRA
Quinta da Cabreira, located in the Upper Douro Valley is an investment of Roquette family, with 114 hectares being planted with new vines. The main mix of traditional Douro grape varieties has been planted: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca. A drip irrigation system was installed in the vineyard which together with a private weather station allows us to deal head on with the characteristic dry and severe climate of the Upper Douro. Production from Quinta da Cabreira complements the production of Quinta do Crasto and the project Roquette & Cazes, allowing to optimise the production capacity of the company’s existing wineries.

QUINTA DO MECO
Over the years 2006 and 2007, Jean-Michel Cazes proceeded to purchase 42 acres of land, in the place of Meco, parish of Castelo Melhor, municipality Foz Coa. This property on the left bank of the Douro River, next to Aguiar de Ribeira, has excellent exposure oriented to the East and North and is the result of a long process of acquisition with twelve different owners.

SANITARY STATE AND OPTIMUM DEGREE OF MATURITY
The technical teams at Quinta Do Crasto and Chateau Lynch-Bages pay regular visits to the plots on the quintas – or estates – selected for the quality of their vineyard management and their production potential for these great varieties.

Carried out from the start of the veraison, these regular checks help to achieve an optimum sanitary state and maturity, thereby ensuring ripe, silky tannins over all the varieties.

The rugged terrain of this magnificent terroir allows for manual harvesting only, which means the oldest plots are treated with care.

A painstaking and rigorous sorting is carried out at the picking stage and also, if necessary, on a sorting table in order to eliminate the poorer-quality berries.