All in a day’s work updating Hugh Johnson Pocket Wine – a varied tasting of wines sampled at home, this the pick of the bunch.
Alenquer
Casa Santos Lima Quinta da Espiga Branca 2007 – fresh tangy nose, good balancing freshness to its white peach/citrus flavours.
Quinta de Pancas Touriga Nacional Reserva 2005 – I must say I prefer belnds to single varietal wines but this is a very good example of Touriga – deep colour, floral, inky nose with dark chocolate. A fleshy, succulent palate shows black cherry, violets and chocolate; nicely integrated oak, elegant sstructure; good persistence/length; touch dusty on the finish.
Quinta de Pancas Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2005 – deep, inky colour, rich, leathery nose with cedary hints - quite Aussie in its weight and fruit concentration in the mouth – though the fruit is less exuberant it shares those dark, black and blue fruits, savoury olive and tar notes with a burnish of leather; an attractive, masculine style of cab, with grainy tannins.
Quinta de Pancas Grande Escolha Red 2005 - inky, rich, ripe nose and palate; elegant fleshy palate with lots of Green and Blacks dark chocolate together with more savoury bay leaf and black olive. Fine grained tannins, good length. Very good – the balance and complexity of a fine blend.
Palmela
Quinta de Pegos Claros Red 2004 – earthy raspberry nose and palate with figgy rich notes, smooth tannins. Enjoyably round and lush with fruit spice – liquorice.
Quinta de Pegos Claros Reserva Red 2005 - a deep colour, oaky fruit with lots of vanillin to the nose. The palate shows brambly fruit with damson and a sweet raspberry ripple thread, baked earth and spice. Present but ripe tannins. Good length.
Alentejo
Paco de Camoes Zefyro Tinto 2007 – very youthful with very direct, round, ripe, succulent black cherry & good freshness for Alentejo. Good line.
Paco de Camoes Canto Decimo X Tinto 2007 – deep colour, sweet, ripe black fruits of good purity, a little jammy but good balancing freshness so no baked notes giving a modern feel. A nice clean pair of heels to its fresh finish shows liquorice, spice and length. Good.
Quinta do Carmo 2005 – nice red and black berry fruits with complex earthy, meaty savoury notes, bay leaf and lentil; good persistence/freshness. Well done.
Quinta do Carmo Reserva 2005 – ripe nose, slightly dried fig; quite lush on the palate with warming ripe red and black fruits, a dollop of vanillin oak brought into check by Cabernet Sauvignon’s tight blackcurrant and firm (ripe) tannins.
Esporao Private Selection Garrafeira 2005 - lovely wine with a deep seam of minerality under its ripe, berry and plum fruit. Very good.
Herdade de Farizoa Reserva Red 2006 – deep inky colour, dark fruits, cassis, plum, good freshness, lots of spice includiNg fruit spice (fennel?) Textured tannins. Nice purity of well-defined black fruits, touch of maltiness/savouriness. Very good.
Mouchao Ponte das Canas Colheita 2005 – perfumed but also ripe, richly fruity nose with veneer of sweet/jam/dried figs. Follows through on the rich, ripe moreish palate with sweet rapsberry, an earthiness, grainy tannins behind, plenty of body here. Good bony structure behind.
Mouchao Ponte das Canas 2006 – chocolate, violets, lush black cherry fruit, again following through on the quite oaky, charry palate. Youthful at the moment, it’s a game of 2 halves at the moment – the Touriga Nacional the crowd pleaser while the Alicante Bouschet pulls back/adding freshness. Good potential.
Cortes de Cima Red 2006 VR – exuberant deep pan sweet fruit with lashings of vanilla; smooth tannins make for a lush package. In a word, upfront!
Beiras Interior
Quinta do Cardo Síria 2007 – smoky,toasty nose, very international but some nice freshness behind its lemon citrus and creamy white peach fruit.
Quinta do Cardo Red 2005 – from some of Portugal’s highest vineyards at 700m this blend of Tourigas Nacional Franca shows very modern ripe, black cherry and black berry fruit with vanillin/floral notes; well balanced, nice purity/definition.
Quinta do Cardo Selecção do Enólogo red (Winemakers Selection) 2004 - black cherry, nice freshness/succulence though a touch of bitterness to the tannins on the finish. An elegant, mid-weight but well structured wine.
Dao
Quinta da Pellada Carrocel 2006 – lively, aromatic nose awash with cedar, vanillin and black cherry, all following through on the palate; ripe grainy tannins. Very youthful and primary now, needs time for the oak to integrate and fruit to sit back. Great potential.
Quinta da Pellada Reserva 2006 – subtlely sweet black cherry fruit and floral nose, this is elegant, fluid (of course!) and fresh with a lovely bay leaf spiciness backed by firm supporting tannins. Love the way Alvaro Castro’s wine just dances over the palate.
Quinta da Garrida Touriga Nacional Reserva 2005 - very fresh black berry and cherry nose, supple tannins, perfumed fruit, good balance; well done Touriga without being OTT. Some Dao elegance trumps the variety’s tendency to rich out.
Filipa Pato Lokal 2006 VR Beiras 85% TN, 15% Alfrocheiro Preto – lovely freshness to the nose and palate, with an underlying minerality. Very pure, very fresh, very young, it is impressively finely honed and elegant wine. Very good.
Douro
Fronteira Selecção do Enólogo Red 2003 - developed nose but intensely floral, ripe, creamy fruit to the palate, nice depth of flavour and perfume; good vinosity with powdery, chocolatey tannins.
Quinta dos Quatro Ventos 2006 – nice earthy raspberry fruit with chocolate and grainy tannins. Good balance.
Quinta dos Quatro Ventos Reserva 2006 – deep colour, with a rich, spicy chocolately palate with a sweet raspberry core and grainy, ripe tannins. Solid.
Quinta do Cotto 2006 – bottled under screwcap – rare for Portugal – shows red and black fruits, good definition, quite a lean, slightly mean style with a sinewy dry finish. Needs food.
Quinta do Portal Colheita 2006 - very lifted floral nose with violets and rock rose. With bouncy, succulent, spicy black cherry to the fore, this is a very modern, fruit forward style though lurking tannins, a touch of clove come through on the finish.
Quinta do Portal Grande Reserva 2006 (cask sample) – floral, slightly soapy nose, smooth seeming tannins but they catch up with you on the finish. A creamy mid-palate shows tangy fruits of the forest, creamy raspberry, chocolate and violets – maybe a little confected – note to self to re-taste when bottled.
Quinta do Passadouro Tinto 2006 – super floral violets, and on the palate with chocolate edged black berry fruit, nice definition. A mid weight 2006.
Quinta do Passadouro Reserva 2006 - fruity floral nose, with blackberry and cherry that follow through on a dark chocolate edged concentrated palate. Plenty of spice here – liquorice, also clove. A mineral undertow to finish – very good.
Po de Poeira Branco 2007 – unusually an Alvarinho showing citrus and greengage though the palate is flinty, a little reduced/struck match. A day later shows more apricot with a tight seam of acidity – no quaffer this has good potential.
Po de Poeira Tinto 2006 – red berry, black cherry, floral and chocolate edged fruit carries through on the palate, very 2006, this is fresh, defined and elegant. Fine grained
tannins, mid weight wine.
Poeira 2006 – a deeper colour though clear with an intense yet elegant palate with bright, well-defined red and black berry fruit, perfume (rock rose and violets) and subtle coffee bean. Fine grained slightly powdery tannins; long and persistent.
Poças Vale de Cavalos 2005 – fresh, mineral nose, floral hints; ditto on palate, subtle draws you in. Well-defined red fruits, cedary spice. Persistent, long, very good.
Duorum Colheita 07 – nice red and black fruits with spice; straight forward but well done. Some nice definition/freshness here.
Duorum Reserva 2007 Vinhas Velhas – solid, approachable wine with good Douro typicity with its brambly fruit, floral and spice notes.
Niepoort Riesling Duriense 2007 – dry, quite chunky (though 12.5%), with spicy cinnamon-edged apple fruit – Austrian in dimension.
Niepoort Voyeur 2006 - pale, spicy (dried cinnamon/cassia), floral nose; fleshy red fruits- v pinot noir, vanilla, creamy texture to fruit, velvety tannins; in the Charme mold but more forward – delicious, sensual winemaking!
Niepoort Robustus 2004 - more obviously Douro flavours/aromas with wild rock rose, dark fruit spice (clove, liquorice), brambly fruit with chocolate and cedar hints; textured ripe but firm tannins. A very masculine style. Good balancing acidity gives a long, layered, persistent finish. Very good.
Sarah Ahmed
The Wine Detective
November 2008
