The Douro Superior grape varieties in the Palato wines

The Douro is a region of great diversity of native grape varieties, many of them planted side by side in old vineyards. In the Palato do Côa wines, that diversity translates into a handful of reference varieties that recur, in different roles, across the whole range — from the entry lines to the special editions.

In the reds

Touriga Nacional is the aromatic backbone of the house reds. It appears in the blend of the Vinhas do Côa line and the Palato do Côa Red, and also as a single varietal in the Palato do Côa Touriga Nacional — 100% Touriga Nacional, with a floral profile of violet, orange blossom and bergamot, fine tannins and a perfumed finish.

Alongside it work Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz, which give the blends structure and ripe fruit. In the ageing wines comes Alicante Bouschet as well: in the Reserva and Grande Reserva reds it is the one that reinforces colour and gives drive, over a base of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca.

At the top of the house, the Grande Reserva is made from old vines over 60 years, in a field blend — the different varieties live together in the same plot, planted decades ago, and are harvested and vinified together.

The cellar work respects that starting point. The Touriga Nacional single varietal is fermented under a submerged cap, to preserve the variety’s floral character; the Grande Reserva is foot-trodden in a granite lagar. In the ageing wines, time in French oak runs from a few months to 18 months in barrel, depending on the wine. The choice of varieties and method changes, but the goal is always the same: to let the origin speak.

In the whites

The whites rest on Rabigato and Viosinho, varieties of choice for fresh, mineral whites in the Douro. The Palato do Côa White adds Códega do Larinho, in a set of citrus and white fruit with no oak. The Palato do Côa White Reserva uses old-vine Rabigato and Viosinho, with part ageing in used French oak barrels with bâtonnage, gaining body and a subtle smokiness.

In the rosés

The house rosés — in the Vinhas do Côa and Palato do Côa lines — are made from 100% Touriga Nacional, gently pressed. They are gastronomic rosés, dry and fresh, with a red-fruit aroma and a floral note.

In all of them, the common denominator is the origin: grapes exclusively from Quinta do Palato, in Muxagata, in the Côa Valley. It is the same vineyard speaking in different registers.