Quinta de Cidro Touriga Nacional
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted lamb, grilled ribeye steak, rich game dishes
✨ Technical Specifications
Quinta de Cidro, situated in the high-altitude zone of São João da Pesqueira, is one of the Douro's most historic and visually stunning estates, crowned by an elegant 19th-century palace built by the Marquis of Soveral. Acquired by Real Companhia Velha in 1972, the estate has become a pioneering hub for viticultural experimentation. Sitting at elevations up to 600 meters, its clay-slate soils and cooler microclimate allow Touriga Nacional—Portugal's flagship red grape—to ripen slowly and evenly. This high-altitude terroir tames the natural power of the grape, yielding a wine of exceptional aromatic complexity, characterized by intense notes of violets, dark forest fruits, and subtle bergamot. Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel and aged in French oak barrels, this single-varietal expression beautifully balances the Douro's traditional concentration with an uncommon, refreshing acidity and fine-grained tannins.
🍾 About the Producer
Established on September 10, 1756, by Royal Charter of King D. José I under the auspices of the Marquis of Pombal, Real Companhia Velha stands as Portugal's oldest continuously operating wine company. Entrusted originally with demarcating and regulating the Douro Valley, the company was acquired by the Silva Reis family in 1960. Today, under President Pedro Silva Reis and celebrated head winemaker Jorge Moreira, Real Companhia Velha oversees more than 550 hectares across historic quintas such as Das Carvalhas, De Cidro, Dos Aciprestes, and Do Casal da Granja. While famous for benchmark Port, the house pioneered fine Douro still whites, capitalizing on high-elevation schist and granite plateaus with wide diurnal shifts. Estate whites—most prominently the Quinta de Cidro mono-varietals and field blends spanning Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Alvarinho, and Sémillon (Boal)—rely on precision viticulture and parcel-specific vinification. These wines demonstrate remarkable tension, vibrant natural acidity, and an authentic, mineral-driven reflection of the rugged Douro landscape.
🍇 Grapes
Touriga Nacional
🍷 ABV
14%