Multi: Tavares da Silva, van Zeller, PV
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:56 pm
I managed to get an hour off work yesterday to check out a big walk-about tasting of Portuguese wines (table wines and Ports). The Ports were mostly familiar to me, so I spent my precious little time getting acquainted with new vintages of table wines I knew and liked before.
If you will excuse me, I will start with a non-Douro, Quinta de Chocopalha, of Tavares da Silva. (Is it ok to post it here with the Douro reds or should I move this portion elsewhere?)
Quinta de Chocopalha
Quinta de Chocopalha 2005 (Vinho Regional Estremadura; Ts Nacional & Roriz, Castelão, Alicante Bouschet) is an attractive, brawny and meaty wine, but with a perfumed/floral character which brings an elegance to it. There is some oak to shed, but I like what is underneath. Full bodied and meaty but still vibrant. Though a "value" wine here at just under 20€, I feel it has the structure to age well in the mid-term.
Barrel sample of: Quinta de Chocopalha 2006 (Vinho Regional Estremadura; Ts Nacional & Roriz, Castelão, Alicante Bouschet) was much like the '05 except there was more of a red tone to it. It seemed to have a roasted/warm year character, yet also the sort of acidity that a warm year doesn't usually have. Though full bodied, it has an elegance to it that I really like. It will be interesting to try this when it is a finished wine.
Quinta de Chocopalha Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Sandra Tavares da Silva said that her father had planted Cab S. 20 years ago. This isn't a bad wine in a burly, masculine, inelegant way, but I'm not convinced Cab S. is really the best choice in an area with such a cornucopia of fascinating native grapes. This does have true Cab S. aromas, but is huge in body and a bit ponderous.
Then to the Douro:
Lemos & van Zeller
van Zeller 2005 (Douro; T: Nacional, Francesa, Roriz) was a nicely vibrant wine with some old oak characterstics (I tend to prefer the slightly oxidative character than aging in old oak gives to the vanillary character of new), but very vibrant and lively fruit. Red toned, well structured, joyful.
Quinta do Vale D. Maria 2005 IIRC, this is a field blend of many, many grape varieties. It is a strong wine, meaty and dark, does show that it is from a warm year but has good structure to cope with fruit. Oak needs to integrate further.
Quinta do Vale D. Maria CV 2005 is much like the above, but with such obvious barrique aromas that I wonder if I will ever really enjoy it. Those who aren't oakophobes, I am sure, will enjoy this one also.
Prazo de Roriz 2006 is very attractive and forward, a bit simple but joyful. Full bodied and with more red tones than dark in the fruit.
Quinta de Roriz Reserva 2003 wasn't really to my taste: too much of a rift between the components. The oak and the hot year characteristics were to the fore, but the refreshing characteristics were lacking, IMO.
Wine & Soul
Pintas Character 2006 (IIRC a barrel sample; Tourigas Nacional and Francesa; Tinta Roriz) has a rather sweet nose with a bit of barrique; it is soft on entry, but gains some soft tannins towards the end.
Pintas 2006 (IIRC a barrel sample; old vine, field blend) was a difficult wine for me as it showed so much barrique/oak aromas that I found it difficult to see past them.
Passa 2005 from Q. do Passadouro is a great QPR at 3,80€ ex-cellars with its berried, sweet yet savoury aromas and healthy but not overbearing structure.
Passadouro 2006 is IIRC a barrel sample and a less wild/more elegant style than the Passa, and also great value at ex-cellar 6,5€.
Passadouro Reserva 2006 was very oaky but berried. What I am a bit conserned about is that a price increase seems to see an increase in oak and concentration but nothing else. At 17,50€ ex-cellar I would pass this and buy the previous two. Maybe I will be proved wrong with age and maybe I am just showing my prejudices towards new oak, but I am not convinced about this wine.
Producão e Comecio Produtos Vinicolas, SA
PV 2006 (DOC Douro white, Rebigato and "many others" said José Maria Calem) was a mineral and refreshing white though again I saw more new barrique than I would hope. A nice wine underneath the barrique though, which retains its acidity and refreshing character despite the warm area.
PV Touriga Nacional Rosé 2007 was a wonderful rosé! Refreshing, mineral, unoaked, fruity, acidic but also has a bit of tannin to provide further structure. Not a wine to philosophise upon, but a wine that I greatly enjoyed. I started dreaming of a grilled bit of tuna left pink in the middle with this wine...
VT 2005 (Douro red, Touriga Nacional based blend, old vines) also has a bit of oak, but shows a wonderful meaty character, big and burly, sweet and vibrantly fruity. Nice in a huge style.
Barrel sample: Mutante 2006 from '06 the VT is "split in two" with a cheaper Mutante made in addition to the VT. The Mutante was a pleasant wine, typical modern Douro in character with clean fruit, berried aromas yet well structured.
Barrel sample: VT 2006 was refreshing and more red toned in fruit than the '05, but otherwise with the same characteristics. I liked this.
-Otto
If you will excuse me, I will start with a non-Douro, Quinta de Chocopalha, of Tavares da Silva. (Is it ok to post it here with the Douro reds or should I move this portion elsewhere?)
Quinta de Chocopalha
Quinta de Chocopalha 2005 (Vinho Regional Estremadura; Ts Nacional & Roriz, Castelão, Alicante Bouschet) is an attractive, brawny and meaty wine, but with a perfumed/floral character which brings an elegance to it. There is some oak to shed, but I like what is underneath. Full bodied and meaty but still vibrant. Though a "value" wine here at just under 20€, I feel it has the structure to age well in the mid-term.
Barrel sample of: Quinta de Chocopalha 2006 (Vinho Regional Estremadura; Ts Nacional & Roriz, Castelão, Alicante Bouschet) was much like the '05 except there was more of a red tone to it. It seemed to have a roasted/warm year character, yet also the sort of acidity that a warm year doesn't usually have. Though full bodied, it has an elegance to it that I really like. It will be interesting to try this when it is a finished wine.
Quinta de Chocopalha Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Sandra Tavares da Silva said that her father had planted Cab S. 20 years ago. This isn't a bad wine in a burly, masculine, inelegant way, but I'm not convinced Cab S. is really the best choice in an area with such a cornucopia of fascinating native grapes. This does have true Cab S. aromas, but is huge in body and a bit ponderous.
Then to the Douro:
Lemos & van Zeller
van Zeller 2005 (Douro; T: Nacional, Francesa, Roriz) was a nicely vibrant wine with some old oak characterstics (I tend to prefer the slightly oxidative character than aging in old oak gives to the vanillary character of new), but very vibrant and lively fruit. Red toned, well structured, joyful.
Quinta do Vale D. Maria 2005 IIRC, this is a field blend of many, many grape varieties. It is a strong wine, meaty and dark, does show that it is from a warm year but has good structure to cope with fruit. Oak needs to integrate further.
Quinta do Vale D. Maria CV 2005 is much like the above, but with such obvious barrique aromas that I wonder if I will ever really enjoy it. Those who aren't oakophobes, I am sure, will enjoy this one also.
Prazo de Roriz 2006 is very attractive and forward, a bit simple but joyful. Full bodied and with more red tones than dark in the fruit.
Quinta de Roriz Reserva 2003 wasn't really to my taste: too much of a rift between the components. The oak and the hot year characteristics were to the fore, but the refreshing characteristics were lacking, IMO.
Wine & Soul
Pintas Character 2006 (IIRC a barrel sample; Tourigas Nacional and Francesa; Tinta Roriz) has a rather sweet nose with a bit of barrique; it is soft on entry, but gains some soft tannins towards the end.
Pintas 2006 (IIRC a barrel sample; old vine, field blend) was a difficult wine for me as it showed so much barrique/oak aromas that I found it difficult to see past them.
Passa 2005 from Q. do Passadouro is a great QPR at 3,80€ ex-cellars with its berried, sweet yet savoury aromas and healthy but not overbearing structure.
Passadouro 2006 is IIRC a barrel sample and a less wild/more elegant style than the Passa, and also great value at ex-cellar 6,5€.
Passadouro Reserva 2006 was very oaky but berried. What I am a bit conserned about is that a price increase seems to see an increase in oak and concentration but nothing else. At 17,50€ ex-cellar I would pass this and buy the previous two. Maybe I will be proved wrong with age and maybe I am just showing my prejudices towards new oak, but I am not convinced about this wine.
Producão e Comecio Produtos Vinicolas, SA
PV 2006 (DOC Douro white, Rebigato and "many others" said José Maria Calem) was a mineral and refreshing white though again I saw more new barrique than I would hope. A nice wine underneath the barrique though, which retains its acidity and refreshing character despite the warm area.
PV Touriga Nacional Rosé 2007 was a wonderful rosé! Refreshing, mineral, unoaked, fruity, acidic but also has a bit of tannin to provide further structure. Not a wine to philosophise upon, but a wine that I greatly enjoyed. I started dreaming of a grilled bit of tuna left pink in the middle with this wine...
VT 2005 (Douro red, Touriga Nacional based blend, old vines) also has a bit of oak, but shows a wonderful meaty character, big and burly, sweet and vibrantly fruity. Nice in a huge style.
Barrel sample: Mutante 2006 from '06 the VT is "split in two" with a cheaper Mutante made in addition to the VT. The Mutante was a pleasant wine, typical modern Douro in character with clean fruit, berried aromas yet well structured.
Barrel sample: VT 2006 was refreshing and more red toned in fruit than the '05, but otherwise with the same characteristics. I liked this.
-Otto