Álvaro de Castro and Dirk Niepoort are two of Portugal’s finest winemakers, arguably the finest. So what could be better than a wine which combines their talents, not to mention fruit from two of Portugal’s premier regions, the Douro and the Dão?
Renowned for his creative collaborations, Niepoort (pictured below, second from left) instigated the Dado project in 2000, though the seeds were sown by his father Rolf Niepoort who reckoned that the ideal Portuguese wine would combine the elegance, freshness and ageing capacity of the Dão with the structure and power of the Douro. Based on this tasting, I reckon he and Castro (pictured right) cracked it in 2008, a vintage whose hallmark is elegance.
The wine has always been a 50:50 Douro/Dao blend, so its name change to Doda from Dado has nothing to do with the relative proportions of fruit. It resulted from an intellectual property dispute. Still, some wines were distinctly “Do[uro],” others “Dã[o],” at least at this particular stage of their life. Here are my notes on each vintage which, at the risk of being over-simplistic, I’ve given a “Do” or “Dã” designation, plus one Doda…:
Dado 2000
Relatively evolved in hue (pale/ruby) and on the palate with spice to the fore, fleshy red fruits/plums and mineral acidity; lacks a little concentration so one to drink now. 13.5% – Dã
Dado 2001
A deeper colour, bigger bodied, tending to black fruits with a solid frame of tannins beneath which lies a seam of schistous minerals. Powerful and though well-defined, “chunkier” in impression. 13.5% – Do
Dado 2003
Good freshness for the vintage, complexity too with smoke, resin and eucalyptus as well as schist and saline mineral notes to its black fruits. Long, persistent finish with imposing, structured tannins. Young. 13.5% – Dã
Dado 2004
My pick of the bunch with the 2008, this is beautifully fresh, pure, mineral and animated. Lovely persistence, a super elegant wine. 13.5% – Dã
Doda 2005
Closed nose and palate, really not giving away much at the moment (a trait common to many 05s says Niepoort). I can say it has an elegant chassis. 13.5%. Too hard to call this one Do/Dã-wise.
Doda 2007
Not showing well; cork taint - shame. 13.5%
Doda 2008
Intense, mineral sluiced, floral and fine tannined – if you’ve read my report of 2008 Douro tastings (see here) this absolutely chimes with my take on the vintage – really, a top, top vintage for lovers of elegant wines so, although this is stereo-typically Dão in its florality and elegance, it’s very Douro 2008 too, so Doda for this one! 13.5%
See Niepoort’s website here for more details about this intriguing wine.
Sarah Ahmed
The Wine Detective
(Wines tasted 18 March 2011)
