This year's Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy for Tawny Port over £15 went to Ramos Pinto, RP20 Quinta do Bom Retiro 20 Year Old Tawny NV (20%)
Tasted against:
- Borges, Roncão 20 Year Old Tawny NV
- Fonseca, 20 Year Old Tawny NV
- Graham’s, Colheita 1969
- Maynard’s, Colheita 1974
- Sandeman, 20 Year Old Tawny NV
- Warre’s, Otima, 10 Year Old Tawny NV
Profile:
1880 marks the birth of Ramos Pinto, founded by the 21-year-old Adriano Ramos Pinto. His goal was to dominate the wine market in Brazil, and within a few decades his company was responsible for 50% of the wine exported to South America.
Over the following decades it has been run by members of the same family, until 1990 when it was bought by Champagne giant Louis Roederer. Roederer has since invested hugely in the cellars and vineyards, and it now runs 360 hectares.
This Trophy-winner – the second for Ramos Pinto – comes from selected plots on an exceptionally old vineyard bought by Ramos Pinto in 1919 (a quarter of the vines are more than 80 years old). A mix of Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta barroca and Tinto Cão, this single-quinta tawny has been lovingly cared for down the years, and current winemaker João Nicolau de Almeida believes the wine reflects the personalities of his predecessors who have helped mould it.
Written by Decanter
