For The Love Of Port

2010 Quinta do Crasto Reserva Vinhas Velhas, to go with some Cabrito Assado. Wine is still going strong--no rush to open the rest of them.

Eric Menchen wrote: ↑Thu Feb 25, 2021 9:08 am Wine is still going strong--no rush to open the rest of them.

Agreed. It's one of my favorites. A very balanced wine.

2006 Portal Grande Riserva.

I finally received the wines I did with Niepoort back in....2013 ahah.

Blabla Blais 2013, Niepoort :I don't want to review my own wine but I'll say this is definitively one of the most elegant and atypical Douro wines you'll be able to taste. Hope to share some with you guys when you'll come over this year!(wishful thinking )

Frederick Blais wrote:I finally received the wines I did with Niepoort back in....2013 ahah.

Blabla Blais 2013, Niepoort :I don't want to review my own wine but I'll say this is definitively one of the most elegant and atypical Douro wines you'll be able to taste. Hope to share some with you guys when you'll come over this year!(wishful thinking )

Look forward to trying it. What was the winemaking/aging process?

I do not remember the harvest dates, but it was always in the 2nd week of August.

The vineyard is a small 1/3 hectare of ungrafted vines(pe franco) with East facing exposition at the tip of the Southern part of Quinta do Napoles. The yields are extremely low, around 600kg in a generous year. Harvest is done by hand and grapes are sorted in the vineyard directly. The Pe Franco normally ripens earlier than grafted vines as the flow of sap is continuous and natural. I often refer as grafting an arm on a human. You'll be able to use your new arm, but it won't be as smooth and efficient. This is my observation with Pe Franco. As we harvest early, the grapes have a perfect balance between ripeness, acidity and they never have much problems, sorting is very easy.

2013 : Fermentation with full berries but unstemmed in stainless tank, no pressing during the maceration. 2 weeks maceration and fermentation. Gentle bucket over(niepoort style). Aged in barrel for 16-18 months in 5 year old french oak barrel. 13% alcohol.
2014: Full clustered fermentation in open wooden balseiro. We gently crushed the grapes to get juice above the skin. Gentle bucket over(niepoort style) for 2 weeks during the fermentation and maceration. Aged in barrel for 16-18 months in 5 year old french oak barrel. 12% alcohol.
2015: Full clustered fermentation in open plastic balseiro. We gently crushed the grapes to get juice above the skin. Gentle cap moisturising by hand for 2 weeks during the fermentation and maceration. Aged in barrel for 16-18 months in 5 year old french oak barrel. 12% alcohol.

Semi carbonic maceration? Sounds great!

Eric Ifune wrote: ↑Sun Mar 07, 2021 4:55 pm Semi carbonic maceration? Sounds great!

The idea is the same, to have some berries fermenting from the inside, but I did not use any CO2

2000 Luis Pato Vinha Pan

2018 Post Scriptum Douro. This has been my house red recently and is a excellent QPR.

Frederick Blais wrote: ↑Sun Mar 07, 2021 5:25 am when you'll come over this year!(wishful thinking )

I am doing everything I can do to get to Portugal this year

2018 Soalheiro Alvarinho Granit Outstanding. Most minerality I've experienced in Vinho Verde yet.

2018 Paulo Laureano White Private Selection Alentejo - This mostly (if not all) old vines Antao Vaz. A very nice and well made wine. I call it a junior Pera-Manca Branco.

2019 Niepoort Docil Vinho Verde.

2015 Crasto Reserva Vinhas Velhas.

2019 Soalheiro Alvarinho Monção e Melgaço.

Eric Ifune wrote:2015 Crasto Reserva Vinhas Velhas.

And how’s it doing?

First bottle from a 6 pack. I think it's in a closed state right now. Wouldn't open another (nor any other 2015 table wine) for a few years.

Taboadella Villae
Quinta Do Sobral Reserva touriga national 2017