The Grande Reserva Dona Ermelinda is the top product of the Ermelinda Freitas winery. The wine grows on clay/limestone soils south of Lisbon on the Setúbal Peninsula. It consists of plots with very low yields and the best harvest of high-quality national and international grape varieties, specifically: Aragonês (=Tempranillo), Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Trincadeira, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The Castelao, which is otherwise common in Setubal, is not used in this cuvée. The grape harvest here usually takes place at the end of September. This wine is only available in the best vintages.
After cold maceration and subsequent fermentation, the Dona Ermelinda Grande Reserva is matured in French barriques for 18 months and left to rest in the bottle for a further eighteen months after bottling before it is sold.
The result is an intense and voluminous red wine with an almost impenetrable dark colour. It has aromas of ripe dark berries, cocoa, herbs and a little smoky wood aroma. On the palate it is full-bodied, but always well structured thanks to the ripe tannins. The finale is balanced and of considerable length. According to Weingut Ermelinda Freitas, it can be enjoyed up to 15 years after the harvest.
Mark Squires from Robert Parker's Wine Abvocate gives the Dona Ermelinda 2017 a 92/100 and writes: "...good structure and a big finish. This is very pretty."
