For The Love Of Port

Has anybody here read the article by Mark Squires on his tasting of a bazillion Douro wines, in the online version of the Wine Advocate that was just released?

Buy your favorites now, as the world is getting a wake up call and prices as we know them, are going to change.

Roy,
I've read the article and glanced over the TN's. Before I comment on them, I want to better read over some of the TN's. Hopefully I can do that later today, after I get back from the micro-beer festival.

beer>>> <<<Me

I've read it - not every review, but I understand where he is coming from. It's very well written and well thought out survey of Portuguese wines. He singles out the Douro as being the top of the heap. The most important point is that Portuguese Douro wines are a work in progress... the best is yet to come. I thought it was one of the most balanced wine articles that I've read in a long time.

Now for the reviews, Crasto and Niepoort are the top of the heap (no surprise). Many other well known producers fall just below them. No real big surprises in the rankings. Cristiano did quite well. Mark scores very conservatively (like me :) ). I would have moved some scores around -- I don't think that the 2003 Crasto Vinha Maria Teresa is the greatest Crasto ever made (I think the 2001 Crasto Vinha Maria Teresa is ).

Thank God that no wines got more than 96 points, and the vast majority of wines I'm interested in were in the 92-95 range. Otherwise, prices would have shot through the roof and availability would nil. There has been some fallout already. Winex just got in the 2004 Crasto Reserva Old Vines in and it disappeared immediately.

All in all a great and very fair review.

-Dave-