Arrival:
So let’s start off! I arrived late on Saturday night. I was picked up at the airport by Roy’s crew and taken to one of Oporto’s top hotel properties. What a wonderful place! What a fantastic small hotel! The view was priceless! Sunday was an off day so I wandered around the city of Oporto and took pictures. It’s truly an amazing city. Please see my pictures here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dspriggs/sets/1275141/
Later, Roy and Mario called me up and offered to take me to dinner. Little did I know that we would start at a port bar (Vinologia). There were many rare and unavailable wines… for example the 40 year old Quinta do Romaneira 40 year old port. WOW! What a start! Then we went to the Dalva Port Lodge (known as Presidential in the US) and had a full tasting there. The 1952 Dalva White port Colheita was the highlight. Then to the restaurant Presuntisco that is owned by – Joaquim Granja. The restaurant was great! The highlight for me was the special artisan “blood sausage” that was dried. Joaquim said the he gets very little of this (less than 1kg per month) and it’s all spoken for by regular customers. It was really quite a treat! The meal was excellent, with one of the best Bacalhau that I’ve ever had. I’ll be coming back to Presuntisco the next time I’m in Oporto!
Day 1:
The tour officially began this day. You can see my pictures of the first day here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dspriggs/sets/1478488/
The breakfast at the hotel was more than I expected. Really, it had the full continental breakfast plus more. I really enjoyed the variety that was available each day. Specialties such as the coconut yogurt showed the Brazilian influence that pervades part of the Portuguese culinary experience. There were also Spanish and English influences. It makes sense given the Oporto history.
Then on to our first visit! We were off to Ferreira. Now honestly, I never thought much of Ferreira, but I came away with quite a lot of respect and admiration for what they are trying to accomplish. Their tawny ports were some of the best of the entire trip. And the dry wines are getting to the top echelon as well. We were extremely lucky to be able to taste with Jose Maria Soares Franco - the long time maker or Barca Velha. We started tasting dry red wines:
WARNING: I am a very stingy grader. Add 2-3 points to these scores to put them in line with most tasters. A 92 point wine is a great wine to me. And a 95 point wine is a really, really superb wine!
2004 Quinta da Leda - Vinha de Ribeira Touriga Nacional (Barrel Sample) – Complex, inviting node. Very young. Not much on entry and then it it explodes and has a very long, great finish! 91 points.
2004 Quinta da Leda - Vinha da Pombal Touriga Franca (Barrel Sample) – Very light nose. Fruity entry. Medium length finish. 89 points.
2003 Quinta da Leda (1/3 Nacional/Franca/Roriz) -- Very nice complex nose. Very young. Tannic finish. Needs time. Medium bodied. Very cleanly made. 90+ points.
On to the ports:
1999 Ferreira LBV – A little stinky nose. Really nice, full bodied wine! Some chocolate. A more serious LBV 90 points.
2000 Ferreira LBV – Alcohol nose. Much more candied than the 1999. Easy drinking. Delicious now. 86 points.
2003 Ferreira Vintage Port – Very nice nose! No doubt about this being vintage port. – This is really good – the best wine so far. Long finish. Good balance. An early to medium drinker. 92 points.
Ferreira Dona Antonia 8 year old tawny – Caramel. Surprisingly dark color. Nice finish. Good restaurant wine. 89 points.
Ferreira 10 year old tawny – Barely tawny in flavor – almost ruby! Nice nose, but not old. Very good though. 89 points.
Ferreira Duque de Braganca 20 year old tawny – Very old. Great 20 year old port! Great grip. Wonderful concentration. Superb balance between fruit, sugar, and acid. Really special and worth a search to find this. One of the highlights of the trip. 93 points.
After the tasting we had a very special tour of Ferreira’s old cellar where they keep their oldest stocks of bottled wines. Truly amazing! You can see the old bottles in my pictures. I believe that 1815 was the oldest that I saw!
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Next we went to Cockburn for lunch. Cockburn has a lot of sentimental value to me since I drank a lot of there ports when I first got in to port. In my opinion their vintage ports have been a downslide quality wise for many years – the last great one being the 1983. It was exciting to taste wines and then eat lunch with the directors of the Lodge. The food was quite good and the wine was a surprise as well. Things are on the upswing here. I didn’t know that they had acquired Martinez – one of my favorite port houses. So, on to the notes:
Cockburn Dry light white port – Very sweet. Off dry. Not a lot of flavor. N/R
Cockburn Special Reserve Ruby – Grapey nose. Dark ruby color. Glow in the dark rim. Nice! Sweet but balanced. Fruity and ready to drink – 87 points.
2000 Cockburn LBV – Young, yeasty node. Very dark to the rim. Great grip. Nice! Needs a couple more years but better than Ferreira’s 2000 LBV. 88 points.
Cockburn 10 year old tawny – Deep node for a tawny. Thinner color. Actually quite dry. Medium finish. A popular style these days (like Warre’s Otima) but not for me. 85 points.
Cockburn 20 year old tawny – A step up. Same color ad the 10 year old. Caramel nose. Slightly medicinal. Dry finish again. An adult tawny. Nice grip. Not hot at all. Interesting style. 88 points.
2003 Cockburn Vintage Port – Dark, dark, dark – almost no rim. Deep nose. Lots of grip. Medium bodied. Nice, but just that. Early drinking. Very well made. 89 points.
2003 Cockburn Quinta dos Canais – Similar look to the regular VP. Yeasty node. Really fine tannins. An early drinking. Long, but tannic finish. 87 points.
2003 Martinez- Dark! No rim! Fascinating nose – real complexity. Huge mid-palate on this wine! Grip! Tannic, but the tannins are very fine. Really well made. Best Vintage Port so far. Wonderful!! 93 points.
I was disappointed to hear the there is no importer for Martinez in the US any longer.
2004 Quinta dos Canais Touriga Franca (Barrel Sample) – Very nice fruity node. Young and tannic. Great entry and then the tannins clamp down. Long, long finish. Full bodied. 88-91 points.
2004 Quinta dos Canais Touriga Nacional (Barrel Sample) – Super Dark. Awesome nose. Dusty(!). Really fantastic. I could smell this for a long time. Finish is a bit short, but wonderful as a drink now. 89-93 points.
Lunch was wonderful and we had a great conversation about port and dry reds with the Lodge directors. Then a mystery wine was pulled out. No one could have guessed what it was because it was the legendary – much speculated about but never released - 1977 Cockburn Vintage Port! What a treat. This is one of the top wines of the vintage!
1977 Cockburn Vintage Port – Med ruby color. Tawny rim, but great ruby color. Wonder young Vintage Port nose. Dusty and fruity, coffee and cocoa. Very complex. Wonderful fruity entry. Really coats the entire palate. One of the great 1977’s. Long finish. Still has decent grip. 96 points.
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We then had a very special tour of the IVDP (Douro and Port Wines Institute - formerly the IVP). In general, the public is not allowed inside the IVDP, much less given a tour. I came away with the realization that Port is the most regulated wine that I know of. Gas chromatography testing, blind taste testing, declaration filing laws, so much intense lab work! Burgundy is highly regulated, but I don’t believe that they are as detail oriented as the IVDP. It was quite impressive.
For dinner it was off to Sandeman for a special private tour of the Sandeman museum and port lodge, and then a tasting and dinner with George Sandeman and his wife. The dinner was really great and the conversation and wines were even better. I didn’t take notes, but the mystery wine at the end of the night was spectacular – a 1967 Sandeman Vintage Port. I gave it 94 points.
Then we walked back to our hotel for a much needed rest!
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Day two:
You can see my photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dspriggs/sets/1478733/
We had an early appointment at Taylor – but we were asked to meet them at Fonseca. That was surprise because the public never goes to Fonseca. Neither Mario nor Roy had ever been there to taste. So off we went to meet David Guimaraens. This was certainly one of the finest stops of the trip. The lineup of ports was daunting to say the least – I didn’t even make it through all of them. The Fladgate partnership (as they are known) just purchased Osborne and had recently purchased Delaforce and Croft, so the Delaforce and croft were part of this line up.
Delaforce 10 year old tawny – Dusty node – quite closed. Nice but thin palate. 75 points.
Delaforce 20 year old tawny – Very thin color. Again, just OK. 76 points.
1986 Delaforce Colheita – off dusty nose. Stemmy. Like Sherry. Weak. 78 points.
1944 Delaforce Colheita – Medium brown color. Again, Sherry nose. Surprisingly fruity! Complex finish. However, the finish drops away too quickly. 85 points.
1952 Delaforce Colheita – Great complex caramel, fruity nose. Very great entry on the palate. Fruity, confectionary, maple syrup. Long endless finish. Awesome Colheita! 95 points.
2003 Delaforce Vintage Port – Green bean nose – like Monterey Cab. Not much going on here. Mediocre. 82 points.
Croft Distinction Special Reserve (Ruby) – Very, very nice ruby color. Dark color. Medium bodied nose. Really impressively big on the palate. Medium sweetness. Long finish. 88 points.
1999 Croft LBV – Closed nose, Slightly off. Sharp, almost sour from entry to finish. Poor showing. 78 points.
2003 Croft Vintage Port – Really different nose. Very closed. Herbs and alcohol. Huge entry. Really inviting. Deep fruit – huge mid-palate – very expansive. “Fills every crevice of the palate”. Fantastic grip. Not candied at all. Fantastic! 95 points.
2000 Taylor LBV – Dusty, complex, almost slightly wooded. Medium ruby. Really powerful entry. Tannins clamp down. Long finish. No chocolate at all!! Impressive LBV. 89 points.
I skipped the Taylor 10yo, 20yo, 30yo, and 40yo tawnies because I was falling behind. I was spending a lot of time talking with David Guimaraens!
1995 Taylor Quinta de Vargellas – Outstanding nose. Very dark color. Medium entry. Very complex. Outstanding! Medium tannins. Extremely complex finish with tannins that are present, but don’t interfere. 92 points.
2003 Taylor Vintage Port – Closed nose. Ridiculously dark. Full bodied. Not a huge wine. Certainly not as big as the 1992 or 1994 and less fierce tannins than the 2000. Tannins do come in very early and make the wine appear more medium bodied. Very fine tannins though. Aging may change this as the tannins better integrate. Hard to evaluate right now. 90 points if forced to score now.
Fonseca Sirocco Branco Extra Seco – Actually quite nice. One of the better white Ports on the trip. N/R
Fonseca Bin 27 Ruby Port – Not great. Average – weak nose, weak palate. There are better Rubys. N/R
2000 Fonseca LBV – Very nice. Slightly wooded, dusty, herbal nose. Dar color. Medium fruity entry. Tannins are really in check. Very good LBV. 89 points.
I skipped the Fonseca 10yo, 20yo, and 40yo tawny.
1987 Fonseca Guimaraens – Wow nose!! True complexity! Dusty! Shockingly dark. Wow! A lot in common with the great 1985. Big and fierce – powerful. Fine tannins, but they are still there. 91 points.
2003 Fonseca Vintage Port – WOW! What a nose! True complexity already. Not as dark as some 2003 VPs. Fantastic in the mouth. Must swallow twice to get it all down. Very great balance between the fruit, sugar, and acid. Tannins are totally in check. A GREAT Vintage Port The epitome of class. Endless finish. 97+ points.
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After this tasting we went to the Palacio da Bolsa for lunch and met up with two up and coming wine makers João Russo Monteiro and Jose Antonio Mendes. The highlights for me were the 2000 Quinta da Fonte Nova Vintage Port – a wonderful Vintage port 91 points. And the other highlight was the 2003 Quinta do Javali Reserva Douro – this is really well made Douro wine and not over priced. 90 points. Lunch was excellent - as usual!
After the lunch we went out on a boat ride on the Duoro so that we could see Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia better. It was a lot of fun and nice to relax before the big dinner that night.
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For dinner we had a surprise. We met Dirk van der Niepoort and his wife Dorli at their new restaurant Degusto. The food was excellent. I had two different risottos, one was lobster and the other was clam. Both were perfect. The wines that Dirk brought were incredible! We pretty much tasted his whole line up of whites and reds. Many of which I am still looking to buy. They were super impressive. I was shocked that the Douro could make whites like this, full of fruit and strong acid backbones. Wonderful stuff. I especially liked the:
2004 Niepoort Redoma Branco Reserva – This was like a cross between a great Burgundy and a great California Chardonnay. Lots of fruit, but also packed with minerals. Great stuff. 92 points.
2003 Niepoort Batuta Douro Red – Large scaled. Very structured. Wonderful fruit. Needs serious cellaring. Endless finish. 94 points.
Roy also brought a 1983 Hanzell Pinot Noir from his cellar. It was shockingly good – in spite of the fact that it was an old Pinot from a (supposedly) poor vintage.
At the end of the meal – dirk pulled out some mystery wines. They turned out to be:
1977 Niepoort Vintage port – Wonderful nose. Medium ruby color. Still dark and not heavy bricking. Wonderful, medium bodied port. Awesome endless finish – like silk. Still has some grip. This isn’t at peak at all! 95 points.
1959 Niepoort Colheita – What a nose! What every tawny port wishes it became. Obviously this is quite old. Wonderful full bodied palate. Endless finish. Not cloying at all. Extremely impressive! 96 points.
There were many, many more wines at dinner, but these were the highlights.
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Day 3:
You can see my pictures of this day here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dspriggs/sets/1478763/
I was getting tired of taking notes. So I skipped taking notes at our first stop – which was Niepoort. What a fantastic old cellar! This is unlike any old cellar I’ve been in. The old Demijohns in the cellar are like no other. The photos do not do this cellar justice. We tasted the current line up. 2000 LBV, 2003 Niepoort Secundum Vintage Port, 2003 Niepoort Vintage Port. I liked the 2003 Niepoort Vintage Port best, but just barely. I gave it 94++ points. This wine needs serious aging and will likely improve – a lot!
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After visiting Niepoort we went to visit with the Symington’s. What a great time we had there. Certainly one of the highlights of the trip! First we went to the Graham’s port lodge for a quick tour, and then everyone drove over to Dow’s for the tasting and lunch. In my previous post about my trip to Portugal with Roy Hersh and Mario Ferreira ( Greatest Port Trip Ever! ), I mentioned that I had misplaced my tasting notes on the stop at Symington’s. Well, I searched and I actually found them! So here they are.
We toured the Symington’s Lodge at Graham’s. This is where most people taste:
It’s very nice with a decent lineup and open to the public. But we had a more intimate and extensive tasting and lunch planned. So we then drove over to Dow’s and met Paul Symington and got the low-down on the history and diversity of Symington’s and the Port trade. We then went upstairs and tasted in the blending room:
As part of the port tasting here:
A selection of Current Release Single Quinta Vintage Ports (SQVP):
This tasting consisted of current release SQVPs tasted side-by-side with an older vintage from the same Quinta.
1995 Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha – Medium dark color. Still quite young looking. Nice semi-developed nose. Fantastic taste. Decent structure. No cloying chocolate aftertaste (a good thing). 91 points.
2001 Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha – Very dark color. Completely closed nose. Wonderful wine! Loads of complexity. Very fine tannins. Stone fruits. Cannot spit this one! 92 points.
1996 Dow’s Quinta do Bomfim – Extremely dark color. Medium nose. Fruity. More ready. Almost Cabernet-like nose. Big wine. Loads of chocolate and flavours. Big structure. Needs time. Long finish. 89 points.
2001 Dow’s Quinta do Bomfim - Extremely dark color. Vinous nose. Huge dark chocolate flavor. Very fine tannins. Classy finish. However the finish is bitter. 88 points.
1998 Dow’s Senhora da Ribeira – Extremely dark color. Young. Still yeasty. Maybe slightly oxidized nose. Good intensity. Powdery tannins. 90 points.
2001 Dow’s Senhora da Ribeira - Extremely dark color. Yeasty, floral nose. Very young. Much better than the 1998 Senhora da Ribeira. Full bodied. Nice long finish. More elegant than the Bomfim. 88 points.
1996 Graham’s Malvedos - Extremely dark color. Slight flor yeast notes. Heavy wine. Floral again in the mouth. Long, long finish. A bit of a bruiser. 88+ points.
2001 Graham’s Malvedos - Extremely dark+ color. Totally closed nose. Awesome palate presence! Very fine wine here. Extremely fine tannins. Endless finish. 91+ points.
1995 Smith Woodhouse Madalena – Very dark color. Very floral, citrus nose. Fabulous wine. Great balance. Maybe slightly short finish. But wonderful entry. 91 points.
2001 Smith Woodhouse Madalena - Extremely dark color. Young but fine. Floral and chocolate nose. Awesome. Extremely good. Very fine tannins. Dangerous! 93 points.
1997 Quinta do Vesuvio - Awesome nose! Really inviting. Extremely dark color. Extremely young, floral nose. Wonderful, smooth, candied flavor. Fine tannins. 91+ points.
2001 Quinta do Vesuvio - Extremely dark+ color! Extremely young, floral nose. Shockingly good. A fine wine. Not a long ager, but wonderful. Now and in the medium term. Really glycerin/smooth on the palate. 94 points.
1999 Quinta de Roriz - Extremely dark+ color! Different. Old school port nose here. Nice entry. Really candied. Maybe a little sweet. Nice early drinker. 90 points.
1999 Quinta de Roriz - Extremely dark+ color! A more serious wine. Tannic – closed. More like Niepoort. This might be better with some serious time. 88+? points.
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Then we had a tasting of four 1980 Vintage Ports:
1980 Warre’s Vintage Port – Surprisingly dark. Subtle closed nose. Opening a little – comples and floral now. Better than the 1977 (at least my 1977’s). Nice. A little hot Medium finish. 88 points.
1980 Dow’s Vintage Port – Dark. Coffee and spice nose. Huge palate! Broad in the mouth. Fun! A great wine. A little heat in the finish. I had to swallow this one! 92 points.
1980 Graham’s Vintage Port – Very young purple color. Wondrful nose. Really great entry. Reminiscent of the great 1985 Graham’s. Very young still. Needs 10+ years. Awesome! Still tannic. Long, long finish. 94 points.
1980 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port. Tawny nose. But a darker, more floral aspect than a tawny. Gutsy. Tannic. Hard wine.. 10+ year more is needed here. 91 points.
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Our palates were pretty tired by now. So it was suggested that we go to the dining room and have lunch and then come back and taste the 2003 Vintage Ports. We had a great meal with several of the Symington’s and tasted the 2001 Chryseia Douro red (a dry wine) - a joint venture between the Symington’s and Bruno Prats – (ex-proprietor of Cos d’Estournel). Of course this was served with a spectacular Serra da Estrela cheese. And then with desert, we had a 1955 Graham’s port (Awesome!! – 96 Points). Then a little tour around the Dow Port Lodge to walk off lunch -- where we saw the largest Port Vat in the world:
2.5 million glasses of port is a lot!
Then back to the blending room with Dominic and Peter for more tasting. We talked at some length with Peter who was responsible for the blending of the 2003 Ports.
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The 2003 Vintage Ports:
2003 Warre’s Vintage Port – Extremely dark+! Truly floral on the nose. Candied. Huge entry. Not that broad in the mouth. Short tannic finish. 85 points.
2003 Dow’s Vintage Port – Black! Opaque! Extremely young floral nose. Huge entry. Extremely deep fruit Almost painful. The alcohol is fully buffered by extract. Awesome Dow. Very, very fine tannins. 95+ points.
2003 Graham’s Vintage Port– A fine Graham’s. Classic Graham’s taste! Medium bodied. Loaded with complexity. Fun to drink. 92 points.
2003 Quinta Do Vesuvio Vinatge Port – Opaque+! Really young, deep, inviting cocoa nose. Unbelievable wine. Huge but soft. Tannins in the finish. The finest of ports. Huge buffering extract. Endless finish. 97 points.
2003 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port - Black color. Chocolate, floral nose. Candied. Huge fruit. Balanced. Impressive. Medium bodied finish. This is a medium length ager. 93 points.
2003 Gould Campbell Vintage Port – Dark color. Floral nose. Very nice port. Simpler than the Smith Woodhouse. A little rustic. 90 points.
2003 Quarles Harris - Did not taste.
2003 Quinta de Roriz - Extremely dark color. Very different from the others. Really old school in it huge extract and huge tannic structure. Real complexity here. I’ll bet there is every rare Port grape variety in this. A long, long ager. Make sure to lose this in the cellar. Absolutely classic, old style port. 95 points.
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Next we were presented with three barrel samples. Each of the wines was vinified using a different technique.
2004 Tank Plunger – Very nice nose. Hot, tannic palate. Good.
2004 Foot Trodden Lagares – Even more floral. Very inviting nose. Awesome in the mouth. Smooth. Much better finish than the above.
2004 Robotics (specially designed to approximate foot trodden) – Similar to the above. Maybe slightly more tannic, but a good approximation.
I still preferred the traditional foot trodden.
Then we had a special mystery treat. The sample seemed very, very old. It was almost green! Incredible nose and concentration. It was more like Madeira than port. It turned out that it was an 1882 AJS Reserva Colheita. An unbelievable wine and one of the best wines I have ever tasted! 99 points!!.
And that was the end of the tasting. *whew*! This was certainly the most thorough tasting that we had on the trip, and possibly the best. We said goodbye to Dominic Symington and thanked him profusely. Then our driver drove us back to the hotel for a couple of hours of rest and recovery before dinner.
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We then had a special dinner at the Bull and Bear – one of the top restaurants in Oporto. We had a special guest join us – none other than David Guimaraens! It was a wonderful dinner and we had a selection of wines that we chose off the wine list. Especially interesting was the Vinho Verde and the Dao.
Day 4 –
You can see my pictures here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dspriggs/sets/1478799/
We awoke in the morning and packed our bags for the big move from Oporto to the Douro. We took the train from Oporto to Regua. Waiting for us there was the winemaker for Quinta do Tedo. We piled our bags in and rode to Quinta do Tedo for lunch and then a tasting. But first a tour of the surrounding area was in order. We went up by Niepoort’s Quinta da Napoles and then crossed the Tedo river and went high up the other side. There was one of the original Feitoria’s (port demarcation markers from the 1700’s) standing there. We had a beautiful view of Napoles, Tedo and the Tedo/Douro confluence. Then we drove down to Tedo and had a tour. We saw old Cestas and the lagares. We went into the barrel room and barrel tasted some tawnies and some LBV and Vintage Ports in progress. Amazing! Then we had lunch. And what a lunch it was! This was probably my favorite lunch of the trip – for the food. The roast kid was exceptional. Now I’ve never really had kid before, but this was great. And the potatoes and salad were amazing too. When we were out touring the grounds, we saw the chef come out and pick some tomatoes off the vine. Little did we know that those home grown tomatoes would become part of the lunch salad. Served with this was the 2003 Quinta Do Tedo “Escada d’Oro” Douro red (90 points). A fabulous value red if you ever run across it. Certainly all the wines are on the upswing here. After lunch it was time for some serious port tasting. I was tired of taking notes so I will only comment on the top wine:
2003 Quinta do Tedo Vintage Port – Dark Color. Really nice, full bodied nose of black fruits. There’s a lot going on here. A large scaled wine. Really quite full bodied. Long finish. One of the sweetest VP of the trip- this appears to be the house style. Really a great finish with very fine, mouth coating tannins. If you like a sweeter styled port, then you should seek this out. It will be ready before many other 2003 ports. 93 points.
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After lunch we drove into Pinhao and settled into our hotel. Most everyone took a nap and prepared for our dinner at Quinta do Noval. The drive to Noval is long and windy, but worthwhile for the views. When we arrived we were greeted and taken on the tour. It was raining and we got to see the Nacional vineyard, but not at its best. We saw the granite lagares with their special robotic plungers. Noval uses a combination of foot trodden and robotics – a good combination. Then on to the tasting:
2003 Silval – Dark color. Light in the mouth. The nose is more open than the other 2003 Novals. More like an LBV. Softer. Medium finish. 86 points.
2003 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port – A definite step up! Closed nose. A more feminine style of port than most others. Nice entry. Medium bodied. A fine wine. Medium length finish. 92 points.
2003 Quinta do Noval “Nacional” Vintage Port – More complex than the regular Noval. Also, a feminine style. Very spicy finish! Lots of subtlety here with slowly mounting tannins and a long, long finish. A really fine wine and one of the top wines of the trip! 95 points.
After that we went down to the dining room for dinner. We started with another AXA owned property the:
1989 Chateau Petite Village (Pomerol, Bordeaux, of course) – Medium dark ruby. Obviously a lot of merlot in this. A nice Pomerol from a great vintage. Medium bodied and medium finish. Delicious! 92 points.
Then we had a mystery wine that turned out to be:
1994 Quinta do Noval “Nacional” Vintage Port – Tasted blind. Not decanted beforehand – unfortunately. My guess is 1997 Nacional. Very nice black fruits. Tannins came in very late. This isn’t a monster wine at all. Medium bodied. Nice long finish. 93+ points.
Then we adjourned to the fireplace for more port and conversation with Christian Seely and his wife, who have just arrived from Bordeaux to meet our group. We next have a:
1962 Quinta do Noval “Nacional” Vintage Port – Medium ruby color. Orange rim. Haunting nose of red fruit, caramel, coffee, and cinnamon. Wonderful, fully evolved fruit in the mouth. The fruit builds and grows over a long period of time. Medium full mid-palate. Long, delicious, complex finish. An exceptional bottle of this according to Mr. Seely. 97 points.
We chatted further with Christian, and start talking about LBVs and crusted ports. Christian says he will be right back and returns with yet another mystery wine. It turns out it is the:
1962 Quinta do Noval Crusted Port – Obviously not as great as the Nacional (no surprise). Very good though. Still very much alive. Nose of caramel, red fruits, very complex. The color is fairly light, almost tawny. Medium light fruit fans out on the palate. Medium bodied. A nice port. Tannins are fully resolved now and the wine is beyond peak, but still very nice. 90 points.
We had an exceptional time at Noval! I hope to return soon!
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Day 5:
You can see my pictures here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dspriggs/sets/1478878/
We started the day with a wonderful breakfast and then off to our first appointment. Today we started at Quinta da Vista Alegre. We toured the substantial facilities and then went on a Jeep ride to see the property and the spectacular view from the top of the vineyard. Wow! The vineyards are really in a favored position for port wines – south facing, just down river from Pinhao.
Then we went to a house about halfway up the hill and tasted many, many ports. I was tired of taking notes, but I will say that this estate is really on the upswing – especially the tawny ports. These were some of the most consistent tawnys of the entire trip.
Quinta da Vista Alegre 20 year old white port (tawny) – Awesome wine! Haunting complex nose of caramel and spices. The color is medium dark orange with a pronounced yellow rim. Super complex in the mouth. Loads of glycerin. Medium bodied. Long, complex finish. A superb 20 year white. This is actually 25 years old, but there is no designation possible for that. 93 points.
Quinta da Vista Alegre 30 year old tawny port – Dark brown color with orange rim. Fascinating nose. Complex and fruity. This is obviously old. Really thick and surprisingly full bodied. Complex notes or orange peel and flowers. Caramel. Super long finish. I really loved this! 94 points.
2003 Quinta da Vista Alegre Vinatge Port – Dark color. Inviting jammy nose. Full bodied black fruits. Long finish. Substantial tannins are well buffered. 92 points.
We had many, many more samples at Quinta da Vista Alegre. Most of them were in the 88-91 point range. This is a Quinta to watch!
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Next we went to Royal Oporto (Real Companhia Velha). I never though much of their wines – but I was about to be surprised. We met Jerry Luper – who at one time (when I first started collecting wine) was famous in Napa Valley as a cult wine maker. We tasted the basic whites and reds at the lodge in Pinhao. Then we took a jeep ride up through Quinta das Carvalhas to the “Round House” at the top of the mountain. What a view! The Douro winds almost completely around the mountain and you can see Pinhao far down below. We had an excellent lunch and some more higher end Dour reds. My favorite being the 2001 Evel Garnde Escolha Red. 90+ points.
Then the mystery wine at the end. What a wine! It turned out to be the 1954 Royal Oporto Colheita. Wow! One the best wines of the trip. I gave it 95 points. This is a picture of the wine:
I think that says it all!
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We said goodbye to Jerry and headed back to the hotel for some rest and prepared for our dinner that night with the Douro Boys at Quinta do Crasto.
We arrived after a very long and windy drive a Crasto and were greeted by the winemakers. We toured the facilities and they are some of the most impressive I have seen anywhere. The care and commitment here is very obvious. Then we had quite a line up of wines to taste:
2003 Quinta do Crasto Douro Red – Medium ruby. Dark core. Vinous! Nice clean fruity nose. – beautiful nose in fact. Some oak is present. Medium bodied. Simple table wine in the mouth. Probably better in 6 months the drink over the next year or two. 84 points
2003 Quinta do Crasto Douro Reserva – Much Darker. Really dark core. Nice deep nose. A little oaky still. Needs a year or two and will keep for many years. A serious wine. Dark berry fruit. Very fine tannins. Long finish. 88 points.
2003 Quinta do Crasto Douro “Tinto Roriz” – Wow. Almost Port dark. Awesome nose. Oaky, but not too much. Earthy. Nice wine! Dark fruits. Stone fruit pits. Fine tannins. Medium length finish. The weight of a great cab franc. 90+ points.
2003 Quinta do Crasto Douro “Touriga Nacional” – Unbelievable nose. Just real complexity here. Perfume, spice, sandalwood, anise, and dust. Vinous. Complex, dusty, long, long finish. Great acid balance. Needs time. A very serious wine. 91+ points
2004 Quinta do Crasto Douro “Touriga Nacional” (Barrel Sample) - Wow! Oaky, huge floral nose. Black. Very dark. Nice soft entry. Great acid balance. Very fine tannins. Real grip. 92+ points
2003 Quinta do Crasto Douro “Vinha Maria Teresa” - (Very limited) – Haunting nose. Very dark+! Really, really fine. Huge mid-palate. Extremely fine tannins. Super long finish. True grip. World class wine! 95+? points.
2003 Quinta do Crasto Douro “Vinha da Ponte” - (Very Limited) – Delicate nose. Very dark+! Even better than the Vinha Maria Teresa. Soft entry. Huge, sneaky volume. Super long finish. Extremely fine tannins. World class! Almost Burgundian in its class and finesse, but its weight is obviously Douro. 97+ points
2003 Quinta do Vale D. Maria – Subtle closed nose. Very dark. Big, glycerol entry. Very fine tannins. A great wine for the US market. Medium long finish. I like this. 92 points.
2003 Meandro – Very dark. Much less oaky than the Crasto. Nice honest fruit nose. Nice entry – coffe – cocoa. Almost Chateauneuf du Pape like. I like this. Needs a year or two. Long finish. 90+? points.
2003 Q do Vale Meao – Almost Burgundian in its presentation. Red fruit nose. Beautiful entry. Must swallow twice to finish it! Finer than almost any Chateauneuf du Pape. Medium-full bodied. Really, really fine. Medium tannins. Long, long finish. I love this! 97 points.
2003 Quinta do Vallado – Super fruity nose. Dark fruits. Hard ro taste after the last wine. Nice straight-forward wine. Medium length finish and tannins. Good table wine. Very fruity. 85 points.
2003 Quinta do Vallado Reserva – Deeper. More Oaky than the regular bottling. Medium bodied. Nice tannins. Good in a few years Long finish. Coulb be better than my score. 88+ points.
2003 Quinta do Vallado “Tinto Roriz” – Nice nose. Black fruit. Wow. Awesome Roriz! Huge fruit but not coarse or rustic at all. Not too much oak. Very fine tannins. Super long finish. Wonderful! Must swallow twice to finish! 95 points.
And then on to the ports - *whew*
1999 Quinta do Crasto LBV – A little spirity in the nose. Very dark+. No decanting was done, so decanting would have helped the nose here. Really super. Red, dark fruits. Huge complex finish. 93 points.
2003 Quinta do Vale D. Maria Vintage Port – Close nose. Opaque! Big up-front fruit. Nice clean fruit. It has a crystalline aspect. Flavor falls off a little early. Long finish, but I wish the mid-palate was bigger. 89 points.
2003 Quinta do Crasto Vintage Port – This was quite good but the bottle was questionable. Probably slightly corked. We were going to open another one with dinner, and then promptly forgot.
2003 Quinta do Vale Meao Vintage Port – Wild strawberry, chocolate nose. Opaque! Huge wave of flavor. Superb. Endless, long finish. Black fruits. Cannot spit! 94 points.
2001 Quinta do Vale Meao Vintage Port – Wild nose. Opaque! Herbs and fruits. Big fruit, chocolate, crystalline black fruits. Just a minor hole in the finish keeps this from a higher score. 90 points.
That was it for the ports for the time being. We went to the house for dinner. Dinner was very good and we ate and talked for hours with the Douro Boys. Roy was mentioning that he had never gotten to taste the 2001 Crasto Touriga Nacional… so one was opened and decanted and we tried it.
2001 Quinta do Crasto Douro red “Touriga Nacional” - Super dark color. Awesome nose. I could smell this forever. Powerful entry with a full bodied, massive mid-palate. Acid and tannins hold this in check. Really well balanced for its size. Tannins need a couple of years to resolve. Exceptional wine! 97+ points.
At the end of the dinner Miguel brought out a Mystery wine. It turned out to be the:
1970 Quinta do Crasto Colheita – Miguel told us that he used to ride this barrel like a horse when he was young! Never commercially released. Really quite tawny. A little spirity, but really full bodied for a tawny. Wonderful, smooth long finish. 93 points.
Here is a picture from the dinner:
It was a meal of a lifetime. I will never forget it.
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Day 6:
Our final day. We started by tasting at Quinta do Portal – a new and up-and-coming winery. Their primary focus is on dry reds, but the ports are also excellent. We had a whole spread in the morning, then ate lunch, and then toured their modern facility. It was impressive and a wonderful visit.
2002 Quinta do Portal Colheita – Dark ruby. Pungent and fruity nose. Short, tannic finish. A little oaky for a simple wine. 78 points.
2001 Quinta do Portal Reserva Douro Red – Closed nose with subtle oak. New young wine. Still simple tannic finish. Tannins stop the fruit. 80+ points.
2001 Quinta do Portal Grand Reserva Douro Red – Nice red fruit nose. Deeper than the others – longer finish. Stemmy, but could age out. All of these are reminiscent of Sangiovese. 82+ points.
2001 Quinta do Portal Touriga Franca – Dark ruby. Nice subtle red fruit nose. Bigger, softer fruit. More guts here. Nice finish. Stemmy. 85+ points.
2001 Quinta do Portal Tinta Roriz – Dark ruby. Red vinous nose. Better finish. Not stemmy. Nice clean fruit – red berries. Medium bodied. 86+ points.
2001 Quinta do Portal “Touriga Nacional” - Best wine so far. Similar nose to the above wines. Full bodied. Red and black fruits. Nice finish. Fine tannins. 87+ points.
And then on to the ports:
1995 Quinta do Portal Vintage Port – Dusty nose. A little alcoholic. More of an LBV style. Medium finish. Fine tannins. 84 points.
1997 Quinta do Portal Vintage Port – Deep fruit nose. Some dust. Nice full bodied port. Flavor falls off in the mid-palate. Short finish. 82 points.
1999 Quinta do Portal Vintage Port – Very dark. Dark fruits – deep nose. Really well balance. Medium full palate. Super finish. Really fine tannins. Extremely well made. 91+ points.
2003 Quinta do Portal Vintage Port – What a nose! Super rich, deep anise, smoke. Huge entry. Full mid-palate. Medium bodied finish. Really well buffered. Very nice port! Long, long finish. Very fine mouth coating tannins. Probably deserves a higher score. 95+ points.
2003 Quinta do Portal + Vintage Port – Fruity nose. Deep. Really inviting. Subtle entry – then grows. Mid-palate is huge. Extremely fine tannins. Long finish. This is more chocolate and maybe a little more monolithic on the palate than the VP. Very, very good. 94+ points.
Then we received our first cask sample of a possible 2005 Vintage Port:
2005 Quinta do Portal “Curiosity” (Barrel Sample) – Extremely dark. Opaque! Young Yeasty nose. Cocoa-raspberry. Fine tannins. Not up to the 2003, but very good. This could be vintage or LBV. 90-94 points.
Then we had lunch. It was quite good and we need the food after that tasting! With dinner we had some older Portal dry Douro reds, and I was surprised at how much better they tasted with food. So my scores above for the dry reds need to be taken in the context that the reds here probably need more time (decanting probably would have helped) and that they go very well with food. I was impressed!
We left Portal and made the drive down to Oporto and arrived back at our original hotel in the city and checked in. We then had a very special dinner that I won’t give away here. Let’s just say that everyone just loved it! A great way to end the trip.
I want to personally thank Roy and Mario for putting together the trip. It was a trip of a lifetime – and I can’t wait to go back! Thanks!
-Dave-
*edited to add some photos
