Casa Ferreirinha Papa Figos Douro Branco 2023

The grapes for Papa Figos Branco are picked from carefully selected sites in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior at around 600 metres above sea level. The mountainous vineyards have schist soils with vines planted either in "vinha ao alto" vertical rows or on "patamares" terraces. Grapes grown at this altitude benefit from a wide diurnal temperature range, with hot days counteracted by cool nights, and the grapes undergo an ideal slow ripening process, accumulating great flavour intensity whilst retaining acidity.

Luís Sottomayor describes the 2023 vintage in the Douro as an “outstanding year” with wines showing “high concentration, good fruit and a lot of intensity”. The vintage was a stark contrast from the very hot and dry 2022 vintage, with a rainy winter and mild spring providing optimal conditions for budbreak. Despite lower disease pressure, intervention was required to prevent downy mildew and longer-lasting pests (green leafhoppers) in the vineyards. Warm conditions without extremes throughout July and part of August, with some intermittent rainfall, resulted in an excellent ripening of the grapes. The harvest lasted almost two months, from 17th August to 11th October, with all grapes harvested by hand.