For The Love Of Port

Luis Pato Vinha Barossa Vinhas Velhas 2005

Ronald Wortel wrote:Luis Pato Vinha Barossa Vinhas Velhas 2005

How was it?

Andy Velebil wrote:

Ronald Wortel wrote:Luis Pato Vinha Barossa Vinhas Velhas 2005

How was it?

A beauty. This wine made me realise again what a great great Baga is, and just how good Pato is at getting the best out of the grape. Beautiful ripe tannins, that were nicely integrated. Spicy, dark fruit (blackberries) and refreshing acidity level. Drinking ever so well now, but still has the potential to grow. Worked very well paired with medium rare beef rib.
Bought this heavily discounted in a bin-end sale... These people have no clue what they're trying to get rid of...

You gotta love when that happens!

2005 Quinta do Crasto Vinha Velha Reserva - yum, but with only 2 hours decant time it did not show as well as previous bottles with 4+ hours of aeration. Still, it's a really beautiful wine.

Ronald Wortel wrote: This wine made me realise again what a great great Baga is, and just how good Pato is at getting the best out of the grape.

Drat!!!! I realised this shortly after I moved here, and hoped it would remain a local secret. Now the prices will increase.

another bottle of the 2011 Portal (Quinta do Portal) Colheita Douro. Still the same greatness for $13. Glad I got 6 more at the moment, but will try and find more so I can make this my house wine.

We've been having "Campolargo" week here in the Alentejo at chez Roger...

2010 Campolargo Bairrada Baga
2011 Campolargo Bairrada Baga
Surprisingly soft for such young Baga

2008 Campolargo Diga?
100% Petit Verdot and gorgeous

2009 Campolargo Vinho Regional Beiras Calda Bordaleza
Fresh, full, and slightly rough - just how I like them

Tonight we'll be having...
2008 Campolargo Bairrada Vinha da Costa
A blend of Syrah, Merlot, and Tinta Roriz - the 2007 was excellent, so I'm looking forward to this.

And then...
2010 Campolargo Bairrada Rol de Coisas Antigas
Mostly Baga, my notes on the 2007 say "...reminds me of an old, very slightly shabby velvet chair that just feels very comfortable...", so I'm looking forward to that too.
But there's nothing in my cellar I'm not looking forward to!

Roger
Thanks for the note on those. I'll split them out into their own TN's in a bit so everyone can more easily search and find them in our TNDB.

2004 Quinta do Crasto Vinha da Ponte is in the decanter for this evening.

The 2004 on Saturday night was excellent, no slouch even given it was up against a Lafite and Haut Brion (both 2001).

Tonight I am going to share a bottle of 2006 Vinha Maria Teresa by Qta do Crasto. I don't remember opening one before, but know I've had it ... at Andy's (Kellogg Ranch in Pomona) dinner last year. In decanter, this will go side-by-side with a 1970 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia bottling flown in from the east coast today.

Roy Hersh wrote:2004 Quinta do Crasto Vinha da Ponte is in the decanter for this evening.

How was it?

As mentioned two posts up, it was showing brilliantly and still requires a very long decant to settle into a good place for drinking. This Vinha da Ponte in particular should easily drink well at 20 years of age and likely beyond.

The 2006 MT that I had last night was far better than the bottle we had last year, but I am not sure if that one had proper time for decanting. Don't remember. Last night's bottle had four hours prior to driving to the restaurant and another hour or two in decanter while it was being finished off. The 1970 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia was an absolutely GREAT and mature bottle, but in all the ways that I like. That being said, the 2006 Maria Teresa was not overshadowed, even if it is not as great as 2005 and some of the other amazing MT vintages like 2011.

2011 Quinta do Crasto Reserva Old Vine Douro. Similar TN as previous ones so I won't rehash it other than to say still an amazing wine.

2011 Chryseia ... likely the best version of this particular wine that I've tasted. Showing really well now. I've had this in Portugal before, but this was with a big grilled porterhouse steak this past weekend and the Chryseia showed more transparency and less oak than in any previous vintage I can remember.

1995 Quinta do Crasto Touriga Nacional Douro

Is it just Andy and me drinking all of the Douro wines in the USA?


... you too can enter your most recently consumed Portuguese table wine right here.

Saturday night, enjoyed with my wife over Valentine's Day dinner, our first course was the 2012 Quinta Nova Mirabilis Branco Grande Reserva. Blindfolded, I'd have thought it was a toasty CA Chard. Seriously. Still good, but not what I'd expect from this producer after having four yummy reds not too long ago, even though they were young, none seemed remotely as heavily charred as this one.

Maybe Mrs. Tawny needs an account so that she can post in this thread.

She opens something from the Douro probably every other week. We don't have a huge supply of Douro wine, but we do have a few that I've picked up over the years and she opens one now and then.

I recall seeing all of the following relatively recently, though I didn't notice years on most:

Casa Ferreirinha
Oscar's
Kopke 2006 Reserva
Duas Quintas
Crasto... possibly an Vinha Velha?

A few days ago I scored, amongst other things, a 6-pack of...

2010 Quinta do Noval - Cedro do Noval - Vinho Regional Duriense

...so I cracked one last night to see where it was, and gave it 2 hours in the decanter.

It's not a monster, but a really very easy drink without being in any sense "light".
But the thing that struck me most was how everything in it seemed to be very balanced - just the right amount of everything dancing together harmoniously in the mouth. The finish wasn't strong, but did last.
Historically, Douro hasn't been my favourite Portuguese wine region, but I very much enjoyed this one.

2006 Kopke Douro
I needed a cup of something to cook with, and I've been enjoying the rest of the bottle since.

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