2015 Port Harvest Tour 1 - Travelogue

[Roy Hersh]

After arriving here several days ago, our tour began on Sunday. I am sure nobody cares what places I visited, dined at, producers etc. before the actual tour itself, so I will just begin with meeting our group.

This is the 1st time we have done this more casual version of a Port Harvest Tour (PHT). The group is made up of all American guests, which is different, as PHT2 is filled with people from other countries. Anyway, we met in the early afternoon and this was a first. We've never had any tour without any repeat guests before. So Mario and I are very excited to introduce an entire new crop to Porto and Douro. We do have two people that regulars of our Forum will recognize: Eric Menchen needs no introduction as he has been one of our loyal and long term posters. Tom Des Brisay, from WA State is someone that those attending the 10th Anniversary of FTLOP, back in July, had the opportunity to meet in person.

We headed for the Vinho Verde region to Quinta de Linhares on a perfectly warm and sunny day. We were met by the owner, winemaker, assistant winemaker and their commercial director; as this was the first time we've brought a group to visit this producer (during our annual trek to Vinho Verde to start our PHTs), although I've been up there to visit/taste in the past. It is a modest sized property with 12 ha, but the winemaker is brilliant and their lineup is very broad and strong.

Linhares will begin picking Monday and we had an hour in the vineyards and our group learned what some white grapes beginning with "A" were like: Alvarinho / Avessa/ Azal / Arinto and then several other white grapes like Loureiro etc. and even a pair of red ones. Afterwards we headed into the production area that was clean and awaiting the beginning of the grapes to come in the following day. The majority of what was most visible, was the large stainless steel vats, of course, but we also noticed four wooden casks. Two each were one year old and the other pair was four years of age. Each pair contained 2014 Avessa and an experiment was taking place how that grape would translate from its typical time in SS vs. new/used oak. We learned up close and personal during our extensive tasting of nearly a dozen whites that would follow.

One other cool detail: they had built a well, yes, like a water well ... right in the heart of the winery's production area. It was 8 meters deep and filled with 4 meters of icy cold water. Inside was a slew of bottles being stored, an experiment that I have never seen before at any winery. Inspired by the sunken wine treasures on ships found in the ocean, this was something extraordinary. They are letting these bottles age, including some Espumante they are trying out. We got to taste these too and the samples and lesson were fascinating to say the least.

Linhares is a family-owned project that also owns DR Ports. I discovered them in 2009 and have been enjoying their VV and Douro wines/Ports for quite a few years now. So at dinner, held outside under the stars, we had a nice group of young -- but mostly well aged Douro wines back to 2002. They were really delicious and I am increasingly impressed with their depth, complexity and overall delicious nature. The petiscos and dinner that accompanied the wines was first class, and absolutely delectable. Our group was filling up and after the first 16 wines, they began to get pretty selective.

Then came a half dozen big dessert items accompanied by Port wine!

We began with a 2010 LBV which was scrumptious; followed by the 2011 DR Vintage Port which I am a big fan of. Next up, a 10 year old Tawny followed by their 30. I think the 10 is up there with some of the best of the genre and the 30 is quite good too. These four Ports made quite an impression.

But the best was yet to come as we really wanted to show this group that Port Harvest Tour 1 was not going to lack the depth nor quality of the wines or Ports that PHT2 will have. I know people were concerned with that, but clearly as will be depicted here and shown to all guests, that is definitely NOT the case. Our final and 21st wine of the day was an ancient Tawny Port from 1885. We showed this once before to our 2014 group. As anyone who has actually tasted this can tell you, it is a fabulous wood-aged beauty. So fresh and yet it delivers greatness for its age due to the cutting edge acidity.

Finally, back on the minivan, one woman asked, "Roy, do you think it is possible that you can top this visit during the rest of the trip?"
I wanted to tell her the truth and say, "Not until tomorrow!" But I held my tongue and just smiled politely.

[Bradley Bogdan]

That's very cool with the well. I've heard of a couple other producers trying something similar by setting a pallet worth out in the sea to see how the constant cool temps and lack of oxygen influence the wine.


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[Andy Velebil]

That would be cool to try as I wonder really what the difference would be from a similar cold storage room. I would guess not much if Bern's very cold cellar is used as an indication.

[Glenn E.]

Our final and 21st wine of the day was an ancient Tawny Port from 1885. We showed this once before to our 2014 group. As anyone who has actually tasted this can tell you, it is a fabulous wood-aged beauty. So fresh and yet it delivers greatness for its age due to the cutting edge acidity.

A fabulous, amazing Port. Truly a gem. It might have scored 100 had we not still been recovering from having our minds blown (twice!) at Quinta do Mourao!

Finally, back on the minivan, one woman asked, "Roy, do you think it is possible that you can top this visit during the rest of the trip?"
I wanted to tell her the truth and say, "Not until tomorrow!" But I held my tongue and just smiled politely.

You're such a tease! :)

[Glenn E.]

That would be cool to try as I wonder really what the difference would be from a similar cold storage room. I would guess not much if Bern's very cold cellar is used as an indication.

It probably depends on the exact temp as well.

Even so, I would still expect water storage to be at least a little bit different than a very cold cellar because there's no oxygen transfer through the cork when it's submerged!

[Andy Velebil]

That would be cool to try as I wonder really what the difference would be from a similar cold storage room. I would guess not much if Bern's very cold cellar is used as an indication.

It probably depends on the exact temp as well.

Even so, I would still expect water storage to be at least a little bit different than a very cold cellar because there's no oxygen transfer through the cork when it's submerged!

Interesting theory, but since there is oxygen in water I wonder if it can still permeate through without the water seeping in?????

[Paul Fountain]

The problem with two weeks of Harvest tours is that I now have two weeks of been really jealous

[Roy Hersh]

Douro Harvest 2015 Update: Last week there was a lot of bad news and scared producers as the heavy rains forebode a similar turnout to 2014. The good news is that there has been warm weather and a LOT of wind that has beautifully dried out the vineyards, replenished nutrients to the vines and made the grapes even better. Knock on wood, things are looking amazing and color in lagares are deeply extracted.

[Roy Hersh]

Day 2:

The morning started out visiting Sogevinus at the Calem lodge and moved to Burmester for a great tasting of Colheitas and a White and Tawny Port:

2000 Calem
1996 Barros
40 Year old Burmester
40 Year old Kopke White Port
1978 Kopke
1974 Barros - wowowow
1961 Calem
1965 Kopke - another stunner
1952 Burmester - loved it
1941 Kopke - was bottled Friday for us

After lunch we then spent the rest of the day into night at the Graham's Lodge. A full tour was followed by an afternoon tasting of Vintage Ports with Dominic Symington and his new assistant, Beatriz Marques Pinto. Dominic has taken over the marketing department of the company. This bodes well for SFE! We were joined by the President of Premium Port Wines (the Symington's importer in the USA) who is a great guy and someone I've known well for many years.

Our mission was to compare two vintages by looking at Dow, Graham's, Warre's and Smith Woodhouse from 1980 and 1977. Fascinating and educational, it was great to hear Dominic's take on these Ports, along with the notes from the birth of both vintages by the late-Michael Symington, (Paul and Dominic's father) and James Symington (Rupert's father) too.

We then dined in the Vinum restaurant and had a great dinner with some special Douro wines and the rest of the Ports that were not consumed during the tasting. A friend sent over some 1967 Cockburn's which was in excellent condition, fully mature but delicious and elegant.

[Roy Hersh]

Day 3 was a ton of fun because we had asked Rune & Emmy and four of their children/spouses to join us for our first visit, which was to Quinta da Pacheca. We have not visited this property for about five years now and it was time to return to see what they are up to. I was there last when they were constructing their hotel, but had never seen it completed. It is a very impressive property with large and beautifully decorated rooms and looks like a great and reasonably priced place for guests to stay. Winemaker Maria Pimentel and her brother Jose who is the commercial director, met our group.

Maria shared their annual occupancy rate % of the hotel and I was amazed to learn how high it was, given the dark winter months in the Douro. But she confided they are busy in the winter too and gain a lot of traffic from domestic eno-tourism during a period where the Douro is mostly quiet.

We had a fabulous multi-course lunch accompanied by their Douro wines and one of our guests was having a birthday -- so Jose had arranged not only a delish birthday cake, but a 1951 Colheita from their cellar. We were all very appreciative and with Rune and his family there too, it was quite a large table of guests singing happy birthday and joining in the celebration.

After lunch we sat visited the working area of this wine property and later, sat down for a formal tasting of Pacheca's full range of Ports. My favorites were the 20 and 40 year old Tawny Ports, and an excellent young 2013 Vintage Port which was spot on for such a youngster.

Jose used to own and manage the Douro In, in Regua so you may know him. That was a great restaurant and still is, with his partner having taken over several years ago, along with his girlfriend. Anyway, Quinta da Pacheca wines and Ports have improved over the years and they are doing much better nowadays. A nice place to visit that welcomes people with open arms and the hotel is a game changer for them.

We only had one visit on Wednesday because we are offering our PHT1 guests a more relaxed and less frenetic wine and dine vacation.

At night we took the group to nearby LBV79. There we were met by our guest and good friend, Miguel Braga from Quinta do Mourão. Miguel brought along some outstanding Rio Bom Douro wines from 2003, 2004, and 2005. These are all excellent bottlings and while I love the 2004, the other pair of vintages were the favorites of most of our group, especially the 2003. Miguel also knew the menu and the roasted Cabrito was phenomenal in combination with these earthy Douro wines. After a long discussion on wine and the vegetable of the evening which I could swear was Escarole; Miguel then opened bottles of his 10, 20, 30, 40 and even broke out a bottle of 60 year old Tawny Port that our guests had read about, but none had tried until this moment.

We had another birthday toast to Nick who is a 1st time guest from the NY area. The packaging of the 100 year old Port was also revealed and for those of you whom have added that to your order are in for quite a treat. This is probably the single most innovative Port package I have ever seen. The Ports from the buying op earlier this year will be shipped to the USA next week and will arrive in CA sometime in mid-late October. So the importer, will be in touch as soon as the bottles arrive to fulfill all orders.

We went back to our hotel and on a warm and gorgeous star-filled evening, sat outdoors and drank the rest of the S. Leonardo tawnies and talked and gazed at the impressive sky for a couple of hours until all bottles had been consumed. The group is very tight and is getting along beautifully. It is clear that Port Harvest Tour 1 is here to stay in our annual plan for upcoming years.

[Andy Velebil]

Very cool. I do need to swing by Pacheca next time I am over there. I've been by it a number of times, but have never at a free moment to swing by.

[Eric Ifune]

I love roast Cabrito.

[Andy Velebil]

I love roast Cabrito.

Ditto!!

[Thomas V]

That would be cool to try as I wonder really what the difference would be from a similar cold storage room. I would guess not much if Bern's very cold cellar is used as an indication.

It probably depends on the exact temp as well.

Even so, I would still expect water storage to be at least a little bit different than a very cold cellar because there's no oxygen transfer through the cork when it's submerged!

Interesting theory, but since there is oxygen in water I wonder if it can still permeate through without the water seeping in?????

Apparently it is called "aquaoir" which is spin of "terroir".

Some producers that has experienced with this technique, have had their bottles waxed to avoid contamination of the wine and I would venture a guess that that would prevent oxidation through the cork as well. (Also are the oxygen molecules not bound to the 2x helium molecules in H2O?, which regardless would prevent oxidation?)

"The process of maturing wine under water introduces variables to wine aged on land like light, or the lack thereof, pressure, motion and temperature or temperature variance. Some producers claim that the wine kept underwater age faster. For example turning a 2009 into a 2007 in only 3 months. Chemically analysis of submerged wine has show the only difference to be turbidity "

It is an interesting process especially for port lovers in regard to the development of the juice.

[Roy Hersh]

Day 4 began a bit late as we have taken heed of comments to provide more rest and relaxation during the tours and that is the actual reason why PHT1 was created. So the morning was left open for our guests to sleep in, swim in the pool, take a walk around the area or go into the town of Pinhão. We met in the lobby mid-day and headed out for a fun day into night.

We began with a boat ride upriver from Pinhão and after a while, the captain turned the ship around and we headed back down river. Lunch was then served on this very warm afternoon and fortunately there was plenty of cold water and 2014 Quinta do Crasto Branco (white) wine. Knowing we were going to have a pretty heavy dinner, lunch was a beautiful array of light petiscos (appetizers) with wine flowing liberally. Gaining a unique perspective of the quintas, vineyards and incredible terraces from the Douro river vantage point was a real eye opener for our guests, none of whom had ever been on this extraordinary river before. A truly relaxing time that presented a remarkable 90 minute photo opportunity.

We landed at a dock near the Ferrão train station where we were met by our driver and we proceeded to our only appointment of the day: Quinta do Crasto. We were greeted by Manuel the winemaker and a few minutes later, Tomas R. took over and spent the rest of the day and evening with us.

It was really getting hot and while we had planned to do some extensive touring of the vineyards, our guests wanted to remain cool so we changed the plan and headed down to the “reception center” for grapes. We spent time observing the incredibly deep purplish black beauties on the triage table and that job was easier than in previous vintages I’ve witnessed. Berries here were a bit plumper than I had seen at other quintas. Not sure if that was due to the rain the previous week or what, but either way, Tomas told us that this was an exceptional year and that he expected the Douro wines to be excellent and the Port, likely to be even better. Encouraging words and seemingly not hype. We shall see. We continued to see the grapes in lagares, Port grapes to be precise. Extraction was as deep as any Port I’ve witnessed in lagares. Hopefully, this and the high Baumé level(s) that Tomas quoted, bode well for the 2015 vintage. We spent time in the barrel room and production areas too, which were nice and cool and gave us a chance to really learn about the difference in oak utilized and the methods for the table wines too.

Tomas explained that the property was 400 years old this year, as it was documented back to 1615. A pretty major celebration will be planned for later this year. What I never knew before was that the Vinha Maria Teresa vineyard was actually larger than Vinha da Ponte, 4.7 hectares and 2.0 ha respectively. I always thought VdP was the larger of the two and was glad to learn the exact size of each of these old-vine field blend vineyards; just a small but vital part of the overall Crasto property.

We had a sit down tutored tasting of a group of LBVs, all from generally declared vintages and then a mix of Vintage Ports too. It was a great way to learn the house style of Quinta do Crasto’s Ports. We also were able to compare and contrast the qualitative differences of their LBVs to the VPs and taste the unique qualities of each. Tomas did a great job of explaining the growing conditions of each year and providing a fabulous and extremely education overview of how each category is made, from start to finish. My favorite LBVs were the 2003 and more so, the amazing 2011 … the latter of which rivals many Vintage Ports. On the Vintage Port side, the 2003 was the best of all that we tasted.

Afterwards, we spent time relaxing at the pool with a generous mix of petiscos. Those Marcona almonds always my favorite were consumed by the handful. I wish they were for sale. Lots of porky products and also great fried balls of Bacalhau and other delicious appys were offered, along with Crasto white. It was then time for dinner and there’s nothing like a fine evening under the stars at this property. Armed with mosquito repellent, all was good in the world. We had a typical Douro dinner accompanied by a wonderful grouping of Douro wines, including a showing of all 2012s which will be in the market place soon. My faves were the 2012 Old Vines Reserva, the Tinta Roriz bottling (one of the best I’ve had) and the Vinha da Ponte which was sexy smooth and extremely approachable and barely any noticeable oak, which seemed like a nice departure from past practices.

As often happens on our tours, treading took place in two different lagares and our guests were all newbies to the experience and seemed to love this! Tons of photos and videos were taken and nobody will ever forget this. Hopefully our feet helped to create great 2015 Ports. Time will tell. We had to head back as it was getting quite late and we bid farewell to Tomas and Andreia and returned to our hotel.

[Andy Velebil]

Love boat rides in the river and Crasto is always a great visit. Awesome folks and wines too. Did anyone "accidentally" end up in the pool? Lol


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[Rune EG]

Thank you Roy and Mario for allowing my family and I joining you for lunch and tastings at Pacheca on Tuesday 22nd September.
We appreciated it a lot. Never been to Pacheca, so it was new for all of us. Very well organized quinta having a hotel in operation and appearently start constructiing a swimming pool in November this year.

Of the Douro wines presented, I liked most the 2011 Pacheca Reserva old vines Douro red, and actually also found the 2012 Pacheca Superior Douro red (60 % Touriga Franca) quite interesting.
Of the ports the favourite was 2013 Pacheca vintage port asnd the 1951 Pacheca Colheita.
Their Douro white entry level 2014 Pacheca Colheita sold in super markets for € 5 (sold 130.000 btls of the previous vintage) seemed to be the most liked amongst the Douro white.

Thanks again,

[Glenn E.]

Wow, Day 4 sounds like a perfect day! As much as I have enjoyed past tours, a day to sleep in and have a relaxed day on the water before going on a visit sounds pretty darn amazing.

Glad to hear things are going so well at Crasto. Coincidentally, Kari just finished off a 2012 Old Vines Reserva too. Can't go wrong with their Old Vines wines!

400 years. Wow!

[Roy Hersh]

Day 5:
Every day seems easy when you don’t have to leave the hotel until 10 a.m. during PHT1. The following week’s PHT2 will not experience that same luxury.

And so it began on Thursday to visit a dear friend, Luisa Borges at her family’s home near the Roncão Valley. We first visited the family chapel which dates back to 1710 and is an ancient and beautiful space.

The family’s armazem (wine storage facility) wowed our guests as all manner of old Port casks: pipas, toneis and balseiros were filled and provided some spectacular barrel sampling. Standouts were a 30 year old (approx.) White Port in tonel. Although this cask needs some stirring, the juice inside was delicious and balanced, smoky and honey notes before the citrus and nuttiness prevailed. Next up a 40-50 year old Tawny Port was simply surreal, with hazelnuts and a purity that was fascinating. The acidity provided a level of intensity that rivaled almost any wine we have had so far on the tour. Our guests loved doing these cask samples, generously supplied by Luisa. One of the coolest tiny and family owned buildings from the 18th century that looks as old as it is, with unique casks and ancient electrical hardware and Port wine knick knacks all around.

We then visited the Borges family home, not a quinta but their actual house in the middle of one of Portugal’s coolest small villages. Luisa’s mother and her father (Antonio, who is 88 years old) joined us and showed us around this museum-like household with fresco-style paintings on the ceilings that must be seen to be believed. I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else in the Douro, no less Portugal. Luisa is the 5th generation of Borges to be in the Port trade. No relation to the Borges Port company. I should mention that Luisa is still under 30 years of age and is producing many exciting and progressive Ports and Douro wines under the revived name of Vieira de Sousa. Some ancient bottlings still exist from her ancestors that read Vieira de Souza, which was the precursor spelling of the company name using the "z" similar to the way that modern Portuguese has evolved from Malvazia to Malvasia.

We sat down and had a few wines from bottle which accompanied lunch. A delectable 10 year old White Port rocked our palates to kick things off with the appetizers. Luisa’s 2014 Espinhal Douro Branco was light and suave, aromatically fantastic and a nice mix of Rabigato, Viosinho and Gouveio, a truly elegant offering. Then came a 2013 VdS Tinto Reserve -- an age-worthy red that needs more time in bottle, but is starting to show the right stuff. Luisa’s 2012 VdS Grande Reserva was my favorite of her red wines and one that I’ve not tasted before. Power packed and primary, yet perfectly nimble and impeccably balanced; this is going to be a really stellar wine once it gains more bottle age. Food helped this youngster show better than if just being sipped on its own, softening it for the greater good.

We finished with a pair of Ports. The 10 Year Old Tawny by Vieira de Sousa that first caught my attention when meeting Luisa in Porto a half decade ago, when she had just finished her degree in viticulture during college in Lisboa. This 10 year old can hold its own against some of the top tier 10 year olds of its genre. We finished our lunch-tasting with a 2011 Vintage Port which I loved early and often as a cask sample … and it has begun to shed some of its baby fat and is now showing really well with plum and fig flavors and a decadent long smooth and multi-faceted finish. Wowow.

Our original plan was to tread in lagar here, but as we had done so the prior night at Crasto, fortunately Luisa and her mother were flexible and instead, took us on an hour and a half adventure riding through some steep and old vine field blend vineyards owned by her family, deep in the back valley. This was the most beautiful vineyard site I’ve seen in quite awhile amongst other famed vineyards in close proximity, and we tasted grapes from a variety of cultivars and understood why Luisa was so high on 2015 for both Port and Douro wines. We headed back to her home and it was quite the scenic route, stopping at various view points in the vineyards (to let grape filled trucks pass us by) that literally blew all of us away on this bright and sunny and extremely warm day in the vineyards, mostly old socalco terraces.

We went back to the hotel after saying our goodbyes to the Borges family and thanking Luisa and her folks for such generosity and extreme hospitality. It was nice to have nearly two hours to relax before heading to dinner.

Quinta do Portal was our next destination and dinner there is always a special treat. Paulo (winemaker) met us with a glass of a sumptuous Moscatel do Douro in hand, somewhat sweet with acidity to match. We toured the entire production and storage facility over the course of the next hour and tried some very special wines. First stop: 2013 Vintage Port which was rich, intense, delicious and vibrant, a real treat for all of us to try this VP. The 2000 Colheita was surprisingly young but well-developed given its age. I wish I had a case of this one, that is for sure. The Portal 10 year old Tawny was decent, but nowhere near as good as the Vieira de Sousa we had earlier in the day. It is actually a blend that works out to 12 years old and some members of the tour loved it. Before heading to dinner, Paulo had one surprise up his sleeve and in all my years of visiting this property, it was the first time I’ve ever seen this one. It was a 100+ year old ancient Tawny that won friends and influenced people. An incredible sample that rivaled the 1885 we had earlier in the tour. Thanks Paulo!

Dinner was put in the capable hands of Milton Ferreira who many of you have read about here on FTLOP and he is now 25 (we met him at 17) and he is Portal’s executive chef and worth his weight in gold. Milton is an uber-talented and humble guy who creates meals that are rarely equaled on our tours. This evening was no exception to the rule. As it is getting v. late here (3 a.m.) I must head to bed so just some brief impressions on the remaining wines of the night:

a. 2014 Quinta do Portal Colheita Branco – an entry level white that greatly exceeds its weight class and is one of the more memorable white wine surprises of our trip, (along with the Pacheca 2014 Branco we tried). Really impressive, creamy texture and loaded with minerality and in spite of its low price point, this earned a full 93+ rating from yours truly.
b. 2014 Qta do Portal Colheita Rose – nothing to write home about, albeit pleasant enough.
c. 2001 Quinta do Portal Touriga Nacional – stop the presses! Find some and buy a case, or at least try to find it in magnum. We had two bottles … I noted some Brettanomyces in the first bottle which I felt lent some stellar complexity; but Paulo wanted to show a “cleaner” version so he disappeared for a bit and re-emerged having pulled out another magnum to open for us. Our group definitely preferred it to the 1st one. Not me, I liked that minor funkiness that really made it something extraordinary. Served from a magnum, I absolutely adored this wine and the concentration and sheer depth of the earthy fruit and focused acidity. Think of a well aged Rayas from Chateauneuf du Pape, but with immense Douro character instead. Either way, both of these bottles were excellent and while 14 years of age, in magnum at least, they both showed the ability to keep on improving for another decade or so. Complex and absolutely stunning. Wish I had more room in my luggage for a few of these.
d. We then moved on to some Ports and the 2004 LBV was a nice light example, not my style but well made and with tons of upside potential to last through 2025+.
e. It was time to break out the Port tongs and Phil, one of our guests, had the honor of trying to master the tongs under the tutelage of Paulo. I always request the 1999 Quinta do Portal VP for this exercise and once opened without a hitch, we all tried this and found lots of reasons to fall in love. The symmetry here is atop the list of reasons, but also the crisp acidity and refined tannins which provide all of the goodies required for providing big smiles all around. Briary purple fruits are adorned with hints of mocha and it is so ultimately approachable. This is one wine that is priced so well at this point (32.5 Euros), that it can be an every day quaffer with ease.

Time for bed! More to come.

[Bradley Bogdan]

Every time I read a day recap, I'm reminded again I need to make one of these tours. Please keep the recaps coming!


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