Quinta do Popa 'Black Edition' Red blend, Cima e Corgo, Douro, Portugal 2017

"We created Black Edition for cosmopolitan people that are looking for complexity and structure in their wines. It's our top label made annually from very old vines with the use of new French oak barrels. Black Edition gives a severe approach to our range. We use grapes with higher maturation but still keeping the style fresh and vibrant.”

• Winemaker: Carlos Raposo, Carina Baia
  
• Farming: Certified Organic
  
• Variety: 40% Touriga Nacional, 40% Touriga Franca; 20% old vine field blend.
  
• Terroir: Schist vineyards 30-500 meters in elevation on the Douro river’s left bank in the Cima Corgo sub-region
  
• Vinification: Hand-harvested in 20 kg boxes, hand-destemming and crushing done in a mill with the traditional process of foot-treading. Alcoholic fermentation
  begins in lagares and ends in stainless steel vats. Part of the blend underwent post-fermentation maceration. Malolactic fermentation took place in stainless steel vats.
  
• Aging:  French oak barrels for 12 to 15 months. Bottled July 2020.
  
• Tasting Note: The aroma of ripe wild fruits, such as blackberries and cherries. Complex, it tends to reveal itself throughout the tasting. It comes from ageing in barrels, which give it notes of spices and exotic woods. In the mouth, present acidity, with firm and mature tannins, well involved in its body and volume, transmitting a good feeling of freshness. It prolonged intense finish with excellent persistence
  
• Pairing: This wine goes well with red meats with rich, smooth flavours – some fish with structure and fat. Roasted, confit and sautéed food, with tomato, mushroom and autumn vegetable garnishes.
• Vegan

From our 2024 Quarterly Bottle Cult - Cellar Builder:

Quinta do Popa 'Black Edition' Red Blend, Cima e Corgo, Douro, Portugal 2017
  In the heart of the Douro Valley, on the river’s left bank in the Cima Corgo sub-region, winemakers Carlos Raposo and Carina Baia craft a symphony of flavors amidst the certified organic vineyards of Quinta do Pôpa. The vineyards range in elevation from 100 feet to 1,600 feet and are traditionally planted like much of the Douro, with dozens of different varieties that serve to create captivating field blends.
The dedicated team at Quinta do Pôpa hand-harvests these grapes with care into small 44lb boxes. For this wine, which is made of 40% Touriga Nacional, 40% Touriga Franca, and 20% old vine field blend, the grapes are destemmed and then foot-trodden in lagares, an ancient, shallow cement trough used for pressing grapes. Alcoholic fermentation commences in these ancient vessels before completing its transformation in stainless steel vats.
After fermentation completes, the wine matures in French oak barrels, where it spends 12 to 15 months developing its character. Bottled in July 2020, it emerges as a true testament to the terroir from which it springs. Aromas of ripe black plums, crushed blackberry, and mission figs dance alongside notes of clove, juniper, and deep forest scents of moss and eucalyptus. Balanced acidity, firm yet mature tannins, and a lingering finish imbue the wine with a sense of freshness and vitality—a tribute to the craftsmanship and dedication of its makers. Pair it with red meats, or earthy autumnal vegetable dishes.  —Simi Grewal