Region and Vineyards
Quinta de La Rosa lies near Pinhão in the heart of the Douro Valley, one of Portugal's most dramatic wine landscapes. The estate's vineyards rise from the western bank of the Douro River, where steep slopes, schist soils and dry-stone terraces create a demanding but highly expressive viticultural setting. Its grapes are classified category A, the top rating in the Port vineyard classification system, reflecting the quality of this privileged location.
The fruit for Tonel No.12 comes from older terraced vineyards planted with traditional Douro varieties, including Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. Harvesting is selective and done by hand, with grapes transported only a short distance to the winery. This proximity helps preserve freshness and fruit definition, essential for a tawny that balances sweetness, spice and lifted acidity rather than simply richness.
Winemaking
Tonel No.12 is made from classic Port grapes, principally Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. As with all Port, fermentation is arrested by the addition of grape spirit, preserving natural sweetness while building the wine's characteristic warmth, texture and fortified structure. The blend is crafted under head winemaker Jorge Moreira, whose role is especially important in aged tawny, where balance depends on selecting and marrying parcels of different maturity.
This 10 Year Old Tawny is aged in old 550-litre oak pipes for an average of 10 years, alongside wine held in the larger Tonel 12 barrel that inspired the name. Unlike many Port houses, Quinta de La Rosa ages and bottles its Ports in the Douro rather than Vila Nova de Gaia. The result is a silky, nutty, spice-toned tawny with 19.5% alcohol and 105 g/L residual sugar.
Tasting Notes
- Color: Clear tawny amber with warm copper highlights, showing the gentle oxidative development typical of a 10 Year Old Tawny while retaining attractive brightness.
- Aroma: Dried berry fruit, figs, dark honey, toasted almonds, hazelnuts and allspice unfold with notes of orange peel, milk chocolate, nougat and roasted nuts.
- Palate: Refined and silky, with layered sweetness balanced by freshness. Flavours of orange chocolate, dried fruits, wild honey and warm spice lead to a long, polished, cacao-tinged finish.
Did you know?
Before Quinta de La Rosa began selling Port under its own label in 1988, the Bergqvist family would go into the cellar and draw their 10 Year Old Tawny directly from the large Tonel 12 barrel. The name survived because it was part of family life, not merely a label. That makes Tonel No.12 a rare example of a wine whose commercial identity grew from a private household ritual.
Wine Pairing Ideas
- Chocolate sponge pudding with coffee cream: The wine's cocoa, honey and dried-fruit tones echo the dessert, while its acidity keeps the pairing from becoming heavy.
- Rich fruit and nut cake: Figs, nuts and spice in the cake mirror the tawny's own almond, hazelnut and allspice character.
- Chocolate éclairs: Creamy pastry and chocolate glaze work beautifully with the Port's silky texture and orange-chocolate finish.
- Mild blue cheese with fresh figs: Sweetness softens the cheese's saltiness, while fig and honey notes create a generous, savoury-sweet contrast.
