Visit to the Douro 2010 - Part 3 added (Quinta Nova & Quinta do Tedo)

[Andy Velebil]

After spending almost 3 weeks total in the Douro/Oporto visiting with producers and then the harvest trip, I came home with a ton of tasing notes, two notebooks full to be precise. So instead of uploading them all at one time, I'll upload them in batches as I transcribe them. I'm sure no one wants to read something like 300 tasting notes all at once. I'll add them here and then as individual tasting notes in the respective Port and Douro wine Forums for archive purposes.

Some of the notes don't have scores, and some are very brief, just impressions really. Many wines and Ports I had I won't list, only because I didn't take tasting notes on them. Mainly because there was too much conversation going on and/or the moment wasn't condusive to pulling out a tasting note book, as strange as that may seem. Oh, while I'm sure there aren't any, forgive the spelling and grammer errors . That said here I go...........

1995 Quinta de Roriz Vintage Port
This had been decanted about 5 days earlier and enjoyed on a train from the Oporto airport, so take this note with a grain of salt. Oxidized palate and nose, yet still had medium tannins. N/R

2007 Niepoort Redoma Douro
This was a lovely wine and I enjoyed it’s full body, with some youthful oak still showing, dark cherries, tar, and late spices. This was a treat and should age for a good long time. 92-93 points

1987 Quinta de Baldias LBV Port
This capped off a nice lunch at Castas e Pratos in Regua. A touch of Douro bake and cloves on the nose. While the palate was a bit past its best days, there was still some soft berries and raisins with allspice, nutmeg, and touch of heat on a moderate finish. I willl say this did get better with some decanting, but the bottle was finished about 1 hour after decanting. 87 points

2008 Altano Branco Douro
Amazingly I had this and the 2009 version a few times while in Portugal and I never managed to take a forum note on it, doh! What I can say was I really enjoyed this wine and I was quite bummed to hear there isn’t sufficient quantities of it to export to the USA. For those of you who are able to buy it, I highly recommend it.

1992 Quinta do Vesuvio Colheita Port
Bottled 2 days prior (22 Sept 2010). I had this many times during my stay in the Douro and it was one heck of a treat. Unlike a previous vintage this one showed no Douro bake, just sweet acidity, carmel, toffee, a little tannins still, and a nice long finish. This is a private family reserve and can only be consumed at the Quinta, where it spends its entire life in a non-temperature controlled area of the winery. I wish I could have taken a case of this home. 93 points

1977 Graham’s Vintage Port
From a rare 2,100ml bottle. Hot and disjointed, but less evolved than 750ml bottles I’ve had. I don’t know how long this was decanted but I suspect that may have something to do with it, as I’ve recently had several bottles of this have shown far better. 89 points

1960 Fonseca Vintage Port
Soft and sweet with fully resolved tannins. A bit one dimensional, and a shorter finish, is consistent with other bottles of this I’ve had. One to drink up, as it’s on the down hill slide. 88 points

1963 Taylor’s Vintage Port
Hot and simple. Something obviously wasn’t right with this bottle. N/R



2009 Altano Branco Douro
Like the 2008, I somehow didn’t take any formal notes on this wine even though I had it several times. But if you’re able to buy this, I recommend it. A very good job by the Symingtons. If I can only get them to export this to the States…..

2005 Vale do Bomfim Reserva Douro
The Reserva wording is no longer used in the States. I was shocked at how well this was holding up for an inexpensive Douro wine. Still some youthfulness to it, it wasn’t dried out at all, and was a pleasure to drink. 89

1963 Offley Boa Vista Vintage Port
4 hour decant, cedar plank and cinnamon dominated the palate, with some pronounced heat on the finish. 88 Points

1987 Malvedos Vintage Port
Decanted 24 hours. While there was some oxidation from being open so long, this still had lots of youthful fruit, good tannins, and long finish. My score is slightly lower only due to the oxidation of this particular bottle. 91 points

1998 Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port
Decanted 24 hours. Soft and silky early then very tannic. A long finish capped off a nice bottle that has some good future potential. 90 points

1999 Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port
Decanted 24 hours. Leaner and hotter than the 1998, but a sweeter and more enticing nose than the 1998. A warm finish left me preferring the 1998 to this one. 88 Points

2001 Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port
Decanted 24 hours. Loads of chocolate bar on the nose. The palate still seemed closed as the fruit was restrained, yet a long full finish left me licking my chops. I’d say this has some good potential. 91+

2004 Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port.
Decanted 24 hours. Extremely tannic and hard to drink even after 24 hours. I was struck by how much tobacco was showing on the palate, a trademark in Graham’s Ports as they age. This has very good potential! 92-93

2008 Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port
Decanted 24 hours. A very floral nose hadn’t changed too much since I last had it in March 2010. Very bold, tannic, and a very long finish. This rocks and I can’t wait for it to be released. I’ll go on a limb here in my score… 94-95 Points.

2007 Chryseia Douro
I’m the first to admit I wasn’t a big fan of Chryseia wines early on, but as they’ve aged I’ve been more and more impressed. This bottle has now changed my mind about them when they are young. I was very impressed with the purity this vintage shows and marked this as a must buy for me. 92 Points

2008 Chryseia Douro
I didn’t take formal notes on the one, expect that it was a bit denser and less pure than the 2007 version. No score recorded.

2007 Quinta de Roriz Vintage Port
Only a brief note, but I wrote “Very good!” so I must have really liked it.

2008 Pombal do Vesuvio Douro
I was engrossed in conversation while drinking this and took no notes. I did have several glasses of it though and quite liked it.

2007 Quinta do Vesuvio Douro DOC
Decanted 24 hours. To much engaging conversation going on at dinner, but I still distinctly recall how captivating this was and I drank all I could get my hands on if that tells you something 

1998 Quinta do Vesuvio Colheita Port
This was a literal shot of Port while treading in the Lagars so I have no notes. I do recall this showed far younger than the 1992 version and wasn’t up to it’s level…yet!

1934 Warre’s Vintage Port
I could hardly stop smelling the nose with its soft spices, tea, and a dollop of varnish. Initially soft, still some fresh fruit noticeable, tea leaf, cedar, and a long warm finish. This was magical and I teetered between 95 and 96 points several times while drinking it. In the end I loved this too much not to give it 96 Points

1958 Warre’s Vintage Port
Sadly this was corked 

1960 Dow’s Vintage Port
Murky tannish brown color and a distinct nose of tea. Soft on the palate it expressed tea leafs, cedar, and a sweetness that I would not have guessed from Dow’s. While this was enjoyable it didn’t have the complexity I though it should to warrant a higher score. 89 Points

1970 Dow’s Vintage Port
A stark contrast to the 1960 Dow’s. The nose on this was still young and fruity, unlike many 1970’s that have started to entered their older stages of life. Still youthful and fruity on the palate with big lavender and massive tannins and acidity. Very complex and complete and a stark contrast to the 1970 Warre’s I had after it. IMO this is one of the top 1970 VP’s and has a long life ahead. 95 Points


1970 Warre’s Vintage Port
While not the monster the 1970 Dow’s was, the fruit here is still youthful belying its age. The silky young fruit is so elegant and seemless as it danced across my mouth. The medium soft finish rounded out a very nice bottle. 92 Points

1970 Niepoort Vintage Port
From a “standard” shaped bottle. This didn’t show as well as previous bottles with its slightly stewed nose and lighter body. Yet it still had good acidity and tannins. 88 Points

1977 Gould Campbell Vintage Port
Corked!!

1961 Quinta de Val Coelho LBV Port
375ml bottle. Ok, I fully admit I thought there would be no way a ½ bottle of LBV from a little obscure Quinta, on the north side of Douro River just east of Quinta do Vesuvio, would still be good. Boy, were we wrong about that. While the color was a cloudy brown, the nose had loads of Christmas cake, brown sugar, and orange skins. The palate was sweet up front with lots of acidity showing later. Plenty of spices and Christmas cake, with a touch of heat on a long full finish. Quite the treat I must say. 91 points

1976 Dow’s Colheita Port (Cask sample)
It was unknown when this sample was drawn, so take this note with a grain of salt, and to be fair, that’s why I won’t score it. Carmel, toffee, some acid showed up late, with a medium short finish. It seemed a bit flat, and I assume it was drawn quite some time earlier. It did have potential and I hope to one day try a fresh sample of this to experience what its really supposed to be like. N/R

Ramos Pinto 30 Year Old Tawny Port
Who knows how long this had been opened, but best guess was a very long time. And it showed. Flat, very flat is a good description. N/R


1963 Fonseca Vintage Port
Not showing 100%, but still showing what its made of. N/R

1970 Fonseca Vintage Port
Another that no formal note, but this was firing on all cylinders. Still young and massive, this is what older Ports are all about.

2009 Oscar’s Wine Douro (Cask sample)
Still an amazing QPR wine. If you don’t own some of this you’re missing out on a great sub $10 wine.

2008 Claudia’s Wine Douro (Cask Sample)
This had an old school Douro quality to it that I loved. The minerality really stood out. I can’t wait for this to be released.

1992 Ouevedo Colheita Port (Cask Sample)
Served blind. A soapy nose with Douro Bake and spices. Nutmeg, tea leafs, light carmel, cedar, and a mintyness late, coupled with good acid. The tannins showed late on a slightly warm finish. I forgot to put a score, but I quite enjoyed this.

1994 Quevedo Colheita Port (Cask Sample)
Served Blind. A waxy and floral nose. Still very fruity and youthful with plenty of tannins. This Port really fills out mouth and seems far younger than it is. While this drinks great now, this should be even better once it has another 30 years of age in barrel on it. 93 Points

1996 Quevedo Colheita Port (Cask Sample)
Served Blind. A touch of V.A. on the nose. It actually reminded me of the 1992 Quinta do Vesuvio Colheita. Excellent balance and a long finish capped off a darn good bottle. 93 Points

2000 Quevedo Colheita Port (Cask Sample)
Served Blind. Definite strawberries on the nose and soft cherries with big tannins threw me off. This really drank like a LBV at this stage and I guessed it to be a late 90’s LBV. Good potential here for a fine Colheita in years to come.

2004 Quevedo LBV Port
Served blind. Lots of loganberries on the nose. Early on this was soft then a wall of tannins and acid seared the mouth. I had guessed a 2000 Vintage Port as this really showed better than most LBV’s do. I can’t wait to get some of these!

2008 Quevedo Vintage Port (Cask Sample)
Served blind. Dense ripe blueberries assail the nose. This is one tannic monster full of dense rich fruit and lots of acidity. This is a stellar 2008 VP. 94+ Points

1970 Offley Boa Vista Vintage Port
Prominate tea on the nose showed a more tawny side than VP side. Soft strawberries, a huge amount of cedar, and roses on the finish made this an enjoyable Port. Based on this bottle, it is at peak and would be best to consume these soon to enjoy them at their best. 91 points

2004 Quinta do Noval Touriga Nacional Douro
OMG this rocks! I wish I could buy some.

1965 Quinta do Noval Crusted Port
Lovely x-mas cake spice, thick and rich, with a plesant finish.

1983 Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port
First bottle was very bad. Second bottle was better but still hot and simple. Remind me never to buy this.

1970 Gould Campbell Vintage Port
One of the darkest 1970’s that’s for sure. A lot of heat on this Port hurt the overall performance. Although some simple cinnamon spice on a hollow mid palate.

1970 Taylor’s Vintage Port
Soft yet powerfull at the same time. Fully mature and that typical dollop of heat on the finish. The more I have of this the more I firmly believe this Port as reached its peak.

1963 Cockburn’s Vintage Port
Although fully mature this gained in complexity with air and coupled with a long finish was a wonderful bottle. A truly underrated VP from this vintage.

1967 Martinez Vintage Port
I’ve had this many times and this was similar to others. Lots of spirit dominate the subtle and elegant fruit. Despite the heat, I enjoyed this bottle better than some others I’ve had.

1963 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port
Not nearly as hot and spirity as previous bottles. This had a nice sweet body and some tawnyness on the finish. One of the best bottles of this I’ve had and one I enjoyed drinking.

[Roy Hersh]

Great job Andy!

How come there were times where you didn't put a score down? Just curious, as that is not like you.

[Derek T.]

How come there were times where you didn't put a score down? Just curious, as that is not like you.

[Andy Velebil]

How come there were times where you didn't put a score down? Just curious, as that is not like you.

What he said Actually sometimes I would start the note and then we'd be talking or something and I'd forget, sometimes it was more about jotting some breif impressions the next morning, but the first wave was more of a relaxing time and it more about hanging out with a bunch of fellow Port lovers and enjoying their company than about being distracted writing super detailed tasting notes. Although where I had the time, etc. I did add better notes and scores.

[Andy Velebil]

A few of us swung by to visit Miguel at Quinta do Crasto and spent a nice relaxing day chatting and enjoying some wines and Ports.

2009 Quinta do Crasto Branco Douro
No formal notes, just a light crisp easy drinking white that went well while relaxing in the pool.

2009 Crasto DOC Douro
This was similar to the 2008 version with fresh solid fruit and good minerality. 88 Points

2007 Crasto Superior Douro
A new wine not yet released. This will fall between the Crasto DOC and the Reserva in their line up. It was still quite oaky, actually too oaky for this level of wine and that hurt the overall score. The big fresh fruit helped a little to temper this. Should be about the $22’ish price range when released.
85 points

2004 Quinta do Crasto Reserva Old Vine Douro
From Magnum. No formal notes but very similar to prior bottles, except this showed a bit younger.

1996 Quinta do Crasto LBV Port
375ml bottle. A soft lighter strawberry that was silky across the palate and a nice medium finish. Reaching maturity in this size format, and shows that Crasto makes some very nice LBV’s. 89 Points



1997 Crasto DOC Douro
I gotta admit, for an inexpensive wine this was holding up nicely. Still fresh with light fruit and while a bit simple it showed far younger than it really was. Blind I guessed it was from 2005.
85 Points

1995 Quinta do Crasto Touriga Nacional Douro
Served Blind. A touch of V.A. and barnyard on the nose. This revealed a drier profile with leather and a profound long finish.
93 Points

1994 Quinta do Crasto Reserva Old Vines Douro
Served blind. I was amazed at young this still showed. Still possessing powerful fruit, good tannins, and an amazingly long finish. I would have never guessed this to be the first vintage of this wine, and at 16 years old is holding up remarkably well.
94 Points

2003 Quinta do Crasto Vinha da Ponte Douro
Served blind. Very youthful primary fruit seemed to structured for a Reserva, but the oak was mostly subdued which led me to guess 2001 or 2002 vintage. While there was lots of dense fruit, bordering on too much, with fierce tannins and acidity. When it was revealed it was the 2003 Ponte, it made sense as it was a very hot year with very ripe fruit. This is a very nice wine, but I prefer the 2003 Vinha Maria Teresa at this point. Time will tell which ends up being the better of the two. 93 Points

2003 Quinta do Crasto Vinha Maria Teresa Douro
Served Blind. My first thought when tasting this wine was “f*** me, this has serious complex layers of fruit.” This is a massively young wine that is amazingly balanced and got better and better the longer it sat in the glass. The minerality in this really stood out, and when this bottle was revealed, I was shocked at the difference between this and the Vinha da Ponte. This is a wine every Douro wine lover must try at least once in their life.
97 Points

NV Constantino Tawny Port – “Roncão Velho”This was bottled sometime around the 1920’s-1930’s, although an exact date is not known. Plenty of pine needles, anise, and licorise on the nose. This still had plenty of acidity left, which everyone commented about, orange peel, and a full rich palate. I was struck by how long the finish was on the Tawny Port and this was the favorite Port of the evening. This surprised everyone at how good it still was. A real treat for Miguel to share this rare old bottle with us. 95 Points

1958 Constantino Vintage Port
This had a recently reproduced label that listed it as a 1958 Constantino Colheita, a partial original wax seal with “stanti”, and their crest still visible. However, when I removed the cork it was branded “Crasto 1958.” After decanting it, tasting it, and some checking, Miguel was almost totally certain this was a 1958 Quinta do Crasto Vintage Port and is still researching it. A remarkably dark ruby still that looked 20 years younger. Velvety strawberries with a solid palate and plenty of life left in it. A tasty bottle and holding up well for a vintage not normally held in high regard. But this is now showing its age and probably won’t get any better if this bottle is representative. 93 Points

1920 Constantino Colheita Port
Not labeled as a Colheita, but after tasting this, everyone agreed this was a tawny port. Although the dark brown color could almost pass as an old VP. Initally soft, this filled out with tea leaves, licorise, and a long tawny finish. 92 Points

[Andy Velebil]

Quinta Nova de Sossa Senhora do Carmo

12 cask and tank samples of Douro wines and Moscatel.

2009 Pomared Branco Douro DOC
13.5% abv, Light pears with a fresh acidity full of citrus. This is a very enjoyable white wine.
88 points

2008 Pomares Douro
Made up of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Franca, and Tinta Roriz, this possesses big up front fruit and a lot of tannins. While a bit short on the finish, this is a very nice red wine for under $10.
86 Points

2009 Quinta Nova “Colheita” Douro
100% stainless aged this Douro red had a enticing loganberry nose, a soft and fruity mid-weight palate. A nice red wine which showed a bit more purity than the 2008 Pomares.
87 points

2007 Quinta Nova Reserva Douro DOC
A bit of youthful oak still prominate on the nose, the palate had young rough fruit, tons of tannins, and was a beast to drink at this stage. This really needed a good Rib Eye to go with it at this stage. Good mid-long term potential on this one and I wish I could have spent more time with it.
90-91(+) points

2008 Quinta Nova Reserva Douro DOC
Like the 2007 this is still very youthful and primary, but possessed a shorter finish and a softer palate than the 2007. I felt this had potential, and again wished I had more time to see this open up.
88-89 Points

2007 Quinta Nova Grande Reserva Douro DOC
Big full plums that are very expansive in the mouth. A bit of oak is still prominate, but this has some layers that Reserva didn’t. While this doesn’t drink as well now, I believe this will be a better wine in the long term.
89-91(+) Points

2008 Quinta Nova Grande Reserva Douro DOC
Better balanced than the 2007 version, with more acidity and less oak. I liked the style of this one better, as it was more traditionally styled.
91-92(+)

2008 Quinta Nova Touriga Nacional Douro DOC
A lovely violet nose, this wine sneaks up on you. Starting out a bit soft, this slowly built up into a full well structured wine that had a lengthy finish. While it drinks well now, I I’d cellar this at least 2-4 years, or a long decant, for it to start showing it’s best. It’s not easy to make this grape as a single varietal wine, but Quinta Nova did a wonderful job.
91-92 points

2008 Quinta Nova Vintage Port
Very extracted and full bodied, this has elegance and reminded me of a young Warre’s VP. Searing acidity on the roof of the mouth and big late tannins, this has good potential.
91-92 Points

Lunch at Quinta Nova:

2009 Grainha Douro DOC Branco
Poured as an aperitif, this really needed some fish to help with the fattiness of the wine.
Not scored.

2008 Grainha Douro DOC
I failed to take any notes…

2005 Quinta Nova LBV Port
Unfiltered and popped and poured. Soft fruit but with big tannins and a large acidic streak on the finish. I’m sure this would have shown better with decanting, as the potential was there. But even popped and poured this was a nice LBV.
88-89



QUINTA DO TEDO

NV Quinta do Tedo Tawny Port
Oranges, carmel, and a nicely layered for a basic tawny. This got a little hot on the finish, but was otherwise a tasty Port.
84-85 points

NV Quinta do Tedo Ruby Port
Medium bodied and a not hot like some in the category can be. A pleasant warm finish rounded out a nice basic Ruby Port.
83 Points

2001 Quinta do Tedo LBV Port
Unfiltered and bottled 2007. Full of fruit with solid tannins, silky up front gives way to a elegant dusty mid palate and finish. I highly recommend this LBV.
90 Points

2003 Quinta do Tedo LBV Port
Unfiltered and bottled 2008. This had a bigger richer nose than the 2001 LBV, but a softer palate, a little less structured and lighter bodied, with a heat streak. This wasn’t decanted which may explain why it showed as it did. I’d like to spend a couple days with this one to get a good read on it.
86-87(+?) points

2004 Quinta do Tedo Vintage Port
A youthful plumy nose is the intro for this wonderful VP. It just explodes in the mouth with large acidity, tannins, and fruit followed up by a long finish. This is a baby and should age very well for 30+ years. An excellent VP from a non-declared year.
92-93 Points

2003 Quinta do Tedo Vintage Port
A very tight nose but I was able to coax some plums and anise out of it. A powerful big palate with some youthfully harsh tannins still dominate it. A very long full finish capped off a Port that will reward those who wait for this to mature a few decades from now.
93-94 Points

2007 Quinta do Tedo Vintage Port
Still a bit tanky on the nose with some pleasant anise. There is no shortage of structure or acidity here and although my score was similar to the 2003, reflecting back I liked this one just a hair better for its balance. This wasn’t decanted and I’m sure this would garner a slightly higher score given 24+ hours of decanting.
93-94(+) Points

2007 Quinta do Tedo Sevedra Vintage Port
This comes from one single vineyard on the property. I gotta admit this one was a big step up from the regular VP, as good as that one was. Incredibly structured, big fresh fruit, massively punishing tannins, and an amazing finish. This was one of my favorite young VP’s I tasted during my visit to the Douro and proof that Quinta do Tedo is a house to watch.
95-96 points

2008 Quinta do Tedo Douro DOC
A blend of touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Tinto Cao that is barrel aged between 1-6 years with a retail of $10 or less. A spicy nose and a medium bodied palate that makes this one heck of a value.
88 points

2007 Quinta do Tedo Douro DOC
This had better underlying acidity and tannins, but the fruit was lighter and this wasn’t quite as good as the 2008 version. While this was still good, I like the progression this has made in 2008 version as they gain more experience making this wine.
86 points

2006 Quinta do Tedo Reserva Douro DOC
This is drinking very well right now, almost too well for a Reserva level wine. Very well balanced with lovely minerality keeping it from being to ripe, still a touch of young oak, and a long finish. A good effort in a year which saw some tough growing conditions.
89 Points

2007 Quinta do Tedo Grande Reserva Douro DOC
100% new oak that is still protruding a little bit at this stage, but not out of line. The longer I sipped this wine the more it opened up and expanded and the more I liked this. It put on more weight and structure and the finish lengthened considerably. A wine that should reward another 5 years before it starts truly showing itself and should easily hold for 12+ more years after that.
91-92 points.

[Kay Bouchard]

Dear Andy,
Thanks so for the tasting notes on our ports and table wines, so appreciative of your comments, as they give us inspiration! I will forward the tasting notes onto Vincent and to Jorge, and if they have comments I will surely add them to the replies.
FTLOP is a wonderful vehicle for all of us port and wine lovers to connect and to support this lovely part of the world, the Douro Valley. Hope to have the opportunity to meet you sooner than later and FYI we will be at Vinitaly and at VInexpo this year. Cheers and obrigada~

[Roy Hersh]

Dear Kay,

Nice to have you join us here on the Forum!

Let me extend an invitation for you and Vincent to come up and join us here in the Seattle area for a nice wine dinner. We'd be happy to introduce you to some of the local Port enthusiasts and introduce you to the Pacific NW!

You know how to reach me.

Best regards to you both ... and Jorge too of course.