Pormenor
Pedro Coelho
douro superior
douro valley - Portugal
story…
Originally established by three close friends from the Douro who had a collective dream of producing their own wines from their home region. Today the label is run & owned solely by Pedro Coelho, one of the originally three founders. Wine runs deep in his family, although perhaps not in the traditional sense, his grandfather was a barrel maker & his father was a cork producer. Pedro had previously worked on the finance side of wine for a port house before deciding that someone in his family ought to produce some wines of their own. Pormenor translates to “details”, a term that encapsulates all that is done under this label. Luis Seabra is a friend & mentor of Pedro’s, whom he met while working at Niepoort for a short stint. Luis was the consulting winemaker for Pedro until 2018 when Pedro took over all the winemaking responsibility.
Of the 25 hectares of vineyards that Pedro works with only 3.5 of them are under his full ownership. The rest is sourced from old time farmers in the area, which he has charmed into working with him rather than other outlets, mainly port houses. It is worth noting that most of these old timer farmers have been accustomed to producing higher yields for port houses, who typically pay based on the weight of the fruit, not on quality of fruit. The dedication & charm it takes to sway these farmers is no small feat & really goes to show Pedro’s dedication & passion for his wines. One of the driving reasons to work with these old time farmers is Pedro’s thirst to work with old vine material, on average the vine material for Pormenor is between 40-95+ years old; all of which are planted at high altitudes, above 400 masl, on steep slopes. These vineyards, although often just over the nearest peak from each other, can take a good amount of time to drive between due to the treacherous terrain, narrow roads & steep inclines & declines. A lot of work & effort to be sure, but what Pedro has pieced together through this dedication & vision is nothing short of spectacular.
Working out of what can really only be described as a glorified garage, Pedro churns out characterful & unique expressions of the Douro.
farming & Philosophy…
Farming is focused on organic practices, an often uphill battle with the old timers he works with but one he feels is worth the fight. Much of his work in the vineyards is to help guide them back to a better health after years of overcropping & conventional practices. The pick times are often weeks before all the surrounding sites, which he is often referred to as a crazy person for doing so.
Work in the “cellar” is done with a minimalist touch. Fermentations all occur on native/ambient yeasts are done mostly in stainless steel, except for his reserva wines which ferment in old, neutral French oak. The whites never go through malolactic & do not receive any bâttonage. The reds often have some level of whole cluster inclusion as well as some post fermentation macerations. There are no unnatural additives used in the winemaking, just small & well judged doses of SO2.
Vineyards…
Pedro works only with vineyards within the Douro Valley & more specifically with sites located in the Douro Superior & Cima Corgo sub-regions within the Douro. The Douro is home to primarily granite & schist soils with varying amounts of each found throughout. Nearly all of the vineyards are over 50 years old with the oldest plantings dating back over 100 years. The altitudes range from 600-750+ masl & are mostly planted with north/northwest exposures
