For The Love Of Port

Eric Ifune wrote:2007 Pombal do Vesuvio

How's it doing?


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Well, I didn't open them, but someone brought these to my home for a wine dinner:
1995 Quinta do Poço do Lobo Arinto - Excellent; I loved this.
1985 Frei João Bairreda - Sadly, a flawed bottle.

Young. Needed about 3 hours in the decanter.

2015 Quinta do Cabril Tinto Reserva.

Redoma Branco 2010, tonight this was a really good bottle, seem some variation over the years.

Bioma 2010, I'm always impressed on how good this wine is aging. Really the style I like from Douro, ripe and fresh.

Fred, I had three bottles of the 2015 Bioma Tinto while in Porto and bought them very reasonably priced. Not a single one made it home with me. I opened them with good friends and these were quite good considering and light enough to be consumed with meat or seafood. Either way, really different style and I should've bought some 2013 too, but had no way to bring them home and was running out of times I could share them, as I still had wine to open and magnums too.

In the past couple of days, I've opened the 2014 Touriga Nacional and also the 2014 Reserva by Quinta do Vallado. I preferred the latter and it should be kept in cellar for another 3-4 years imo.

2006 Quinta do Crasto Reserva
2005 Rio Bom Reserva
2005 Niepoort Redoma Reserva Branco

2009 Altano "Organic". Slightly different style than the regular Altano. Higher alcohol and more modern in styling (not that the regular was rustic). Seems to age a tad slower too. Normally Altano isn't getting better at 7-10 years old, and the Organic will plateau at around 10 years... Forgot I had a case of this stuff, will start including in my rotation now. On the bottle it says all the grapes are from one vineyard.

We've been drinking NV Filipa Pato Beiras Brut Rosé “3B”. Fun sparkling wine that is worth picking up.

2014 Wine and Soul Pintas Character Douro. A stellar great red wine that is a killer QPR at around $33-35.

2017 Niepoort Redoma Branco
2014 Niepoort Vertente
Both very good, but I think I was more surprised by the Vertente given its price in the restaurant. I've got a lot more coming ...

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Eric Menchen wrote:2017 Niepoort Redoma Branco
2014 Niepoort Vertente
Both very good, but I think I was more surprised by the Vertente given its price in the restaurant. I've got a lot more coming ...

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Vertente can be a screaming good deal, but that is very dependent on the vintage.

Last night was a 2007 Quinta do Vallado Reserva.


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Christmas Eve:
2013 Murganheira Czar Grand Cuvée Rosé
2015 Quinta do Crasto Reserva Vinhas Velhas
2014 Venâncio do Costa Lima Moscatel Roxo (D.O. Setúbal)


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In Sintra, I wanted to start with a bubbly, and was intrigued when I found one on the wine list made from Arinto:
2014 Quinta da Romeira Arinto Bucelas Espumante
I didn't take notes, but one of my friends did:
http://brokenazulejos.com/366-vinhos/20 ... mber-2018/

Eric Menchen wrote:In Sintra, I wanted to start with a bubbly, and was intrigued when I found one on the wine list made from Arinto:
2014 Quinta da Romeira Arinto Bucelas Espumante
I didn't take notes, but one of my friends did:
http://brokenazulejos.com/366-vinhos/20 ... mber-2018/

I don't see many sparking Bucelas wines available. They're good though and can age.

2001 Chryseia. My last bottle, 3 hour decant and it was showing very nicely.

My friend Lisa opened this, a 2004 Alves de Sousa ABANDONADO and it was still remarkably fresh and just barely gaining secondary nuances. It was singing but had required a long decant to have it show beautifully to pair with dinner last weekend. I have a six-pack unopened of this Tinto, as I have consumed an entire six pack already. The second one will sit a few more years before I break into it. 2004 was such an incredible year for red Douro wines, similar to how 2011 VP was across the board.

Took my mom to dinner recently and opened a 2003 Quinta do Crasto Vinha da Ponte. Lovely with 6 hours of decanting.

2015 Antonio Bernardino Paulo da Silva Vinho Regional Lisboa Casal da Azenha
Tasted blind, we likened this to a Beaujolais with all its fresh fruit flavors, but I and one other person also stated if that's what it was, it was the best Beaujolais we had ever tasted. Not a big powerful wine, but great QPR.

Past 10 days:

2015 Niepoort Redoma Branco Reserva

2017 Niepoort Redoma Branco Reserva

2001 Quinta do Crasto Touriga Nacional - Likely another decade in the tank, but right now, showing layer and layers of fruit. Zero sign of bricking as the outer edge is still med. dark ruby. The nose and palate were both surreal. My Douro savvy friend, Stewart that I shared this with, unbeknownst to me, rated this the same as I did, 96 points. Outside of Barca Velha, I can't think of another Douro red wine that I have ever scored higher than this.