2019 Roquette & Cazes Xisto Red 1 x 0.75L Douro Region 1 Bottle WINEMAKERS: Daniel Llose (Château Lynch-Bages) & Manuel Lobo (Quinta do Crasto). AWARDS/RECOMMENDATIONS 96 Points, Revista Fugas 95+ Points, Revista de Vinhos 18.5 Points, Vinho Grandes Escolhas 91 Points, Decanter World Wine Awards 97 Points, Robert Parker (2018 Vintage) 97 Points, Evasões (2018 Vintage) 96 Points, Falstaff (2018 Vintage) 96 Points, Revista Adega (2018 Vintage) Gold Medal, Vinum Wine Competition (2018 Vintage) 17.5 Points, Jancis Robinson (2015 Vintage) WINE VARIETIES: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca & Tinta Roriz. VINIFICATION The grapes are hand-picked and come exclusively from the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior subregions. On arrival in the winery they are rigorously inspected on a sorting table. They are then destemmed and crushed. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel conic vats. Rack and return is performed during fermentation. This French technique means that the juice is drained from the fermenting vat leaving the cap behind. The fermenting juice is then pumped back over the cap, maximising the skin contact. The result is a concentrated, complex wine that is also elegant and stylish. Xisto Roquette & Cazes 2019 aged about 20 months in new French oak barrels. TASTING NOTES Deep ruby in colour. The nose shows fresh forest fruit notes well integrated with fine hints of spice and gum cistus. The palate starts in an elegant way, evolving into a full-bodied wine with a structure composed of fresh, finely textured tannins. The finish is balanced and persistent. This is a wine made using Bordeaux vinification technology, but which reflects the unique identity of the Douro. SERVING Decant before serving. Serving Temperature: 16 ºC. Perfect matches: red meat, gamey and seasoned dishes. HISTORY The Roquette & Cazes project represents, above all, the coming together of two friends, Jorge Roquette from Quinta do Crasto and Jean-Michel Cazes from Château Lynch-Bages. In 2002, these two families decided to set up a company to produce great wines that would be distinguished by the natural characteristics of the Douro Valley and by the experience of the Cazes, who have been producing wines in Bordeaux for nearly a century. A wine-making adventure “Making a great wine using the Douro grape varieties, a wine with body and complexity which combines the power and the sun of Portugal with the elegance and finesse of Bordeaux” said Jean-Michel Cazes about this adventure. There were two major challenges: – to respect the character of the Douro so as not to lose the local feel and touch; – to bring two different teams of winemakers together that speak different languages and work 1,000 km apart from each other. Adapting the knowledge to different natural conditions to produce great wines In the Roquette & Cazes project, the whole process begins in the vineyard. From time to time, family Cazes’s winemaker Daniel Llose goes to the Douro to visit the vineyards along with Manuel Lobo, Quinta do Crasto’s winemaker. The vinification process is conducted by the two winemakers and it takes place in Quinta do Crasto’s winery. In order to conserve, yet elegantly integrate, the Douro characteristics, a specific winemaking system was created. It includes a gentle pumping over process and long maceration periods which result in intense and elegant wines, with good structure and personality, deeply marked by the “terroir”. The grapes come from vineyards located in different parts of the Douro Valley. The main grape varieties used are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz. French oak barrels, which are provided by Château Lynch-Bages’s supplier, are used to mature the wine. Bottle ageing takes place in a temperature controlled environment in Quinta do Crasto’s warehouse. PLEASE NOTE: This is a recurring auction. The seal number(s) you see on the photos might differ from the one(s) on your bottle(s).