For The Love Of Port

On the 10th of june it is the Portugal Day (near the same as 4th of july).
Dirk Niepoort has invited a bunch of people to celebrate this day and pass it around portuguese old wines.
On this event was present the norwegian wine writer, Tom Marthinsen, that his doing some trip in Portugal wines.
Tha tasting consisted in tasting olf portuguese wines. We tasted wines from 1925 to 1994. we started at 11Am and ended at 2AM.

The people:
Dirk Niepoort (The "Drink Me" Man)
Tom Marthisen (Norwegian Critic)
Helge Hansen (Photographer that works with Tom)
Luís Seabra (Nieport)
Nick Delaforce (Niepoort)
Rita Ferreira (Winemaker of Conceito
Vítor Claro (Chef)
Luís Ferreira (Wine Lover)
Paulo Silva (Wine Critic and Blog Owner. He is here in FTLOP too)
Nuno Gonçalves (Wine Lover)
Nina (Journalist)
Joana (Doctor that took care of our livers and Paulo Silva's Wife)

The Wines:

White

Douro
Grandjó 1925
Marquis de Soveral 1967
Marquis de Soveral 1964
Ermida 1965
Ermida 1967
Marquis de Soveral 1958
Pérola Garrafeira 1980
Lamego 1963
Lamego 1964

Dão
Real Vinícola 1980
Centro de Estudos de Nelas 1994

Colares
Colares Visconde de Salreu 1933
Colares Chitas 1974


Tintos

Bairrada
Luís Pato 1980
Luís Pato 1985
Luís Pato 1988
Luís Pato Vinhas Velhas 1990
Luís Pato Vinhas Velhas 1992
Luís Pato Vinhas Velhas 1995
Sidónio Sousa Caves Valdarcos 185
Valdarcos Garrafeira 1985
Grupo dos 8 1988
Caves Montanha 1967
Adega Cooperativa de Souselas 1965

Bairrada/Dão Buçaco Reserva 1983
Buçaco Reserva 1970
Buçaco Reserva 1962
Buçaco Reserva 1959

Palmela
Periquita 1970

Colares
Visconde de Salreu Garrafeira Particular 1968
Viúva José Gomes da Silva Reserva Velho 1965
Chitas 1968
Visconde de Salreu Garrafeira Particular 1967

Dão
Dão Pipas (63 ou 67, era assim o rotulo)
Dão Cabido 1970
Dão Cabido 1967

Alentejo
Mouchão 1962
Mouchão 1970
Quinta do Carmo Garrafeira 1986
Quinta do Carmo Garrafeira 1987

Douro e Trás os Montes
Evel Garrafeira 1964
Real Vinícola Granleve 1965
Vinha Grande 1962
Montaria 1966 (este vinho é da Taylor's)
Gramtom Garrafeira 1958
Marquis de Soveral Garrafeira 1958
Ferreirinha Reserva Especial 1974
Quinta do Côtto Bastardo 1973
Quinta do Côtto Bastardo 1974
Valle Pradinhos 1986



Some wines, portuguese ans foreign, were tasted apart from the main tasting, specially at meals:

Portuguese
Branco dos Cozinheiros 2004
Luís Pato Vinha Formal 2006
Luís Pato Vinha Formal 2007
Casa Agrícola Horácio Simões Moscatel Roxo Excellent
Delaforce Corte 1997 Vintage
Smith Woodhouse 1980 Vintage
Niepoort Tawny 1927 (this is a wine made for celebration of Dirk's father when he was born. Never been selled and there were only 350 Bottles released)



Foreign
Weingut St. Johanishoff Erderner Pralat Riesling Auslese 1979
Egly-Ouriet Blanc de Noir Grand Cru
Giacomo Conterno Monfortino Barolo 1995
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 2002
Armand Russeau Gevrey-Chambertin 2004
Armand Russeau Gevrey-Chambertin 2005
Chateau Gran Puy Ducasse 1966
Coche-Dury Mersault 1999
Duplessis Chablis Les Clos 2000
R&L Legras Cuvée St Vincent 1996
Keller Westhofen Kirchspiel Trocken 2004
Macforbes Riesling RS9 2006
Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese 2001
Vega Sicilia Unico 1986


So this was ihow i got to celebrate my Country day. This could only be possible my the friendship and generosity of Dirk Niepoort. Some of these wines were really sublime. A great day that i won't forget, because of confraternization, a football match and of course the great wines.
I promise to put some of my notes here in a few days.

Btw, anyone tried this 1927 Port from Niepoort? This was huge stuff. One of the best port i ever had. Sublime

Joao,
What an stellar line up of wines, wow. Please do post your Tn's on them, they would be facinating to read how those old wines have held up.

I will do that Andy, just give a few days. I still have my notes on the other ports to put here.
This is the problem when you write in a handfull of forums. It's such a work. I will put some pictures later too.


Abraço,

Amazing!! The line up of portuguese wines is just impressive. Just hard to get them! Then drink them...

How often will you be able to taste Tâche and some Coche-Dury in the same tasting, lucky man!

The Tasting Notes



Whites


Grandjó 1925
This was one of the wines that just took everybody attention. It was time of no talk but time of respect for a rare and legendary wine. The wine itself was inside our best expectations as we were in front of a sample that was in really good shape. Yellow in color with green edges reflexes. Spicy aroma, like saffron and some medicinal suggestion. Mouth a little bit thin but rich and synchronized between the remain sugar and acidity. Well for a wine this type and age i consider a miracle to be still alive.

Marquis de Soveral 1958
Started a little bit strange in the nose. initially just throw it away but with some aeration has became a serious wine with lot of freshness and liveness.

Marquis de Soveral 1967
Lot of aromas and intensity, this wine showed some remarkable resin.
Very alive, with good acidity and freshness.

Real Vinícola Dão 1980
A great surprise by a wine that has much more to give us in future. rich nose with suggestions of petrol, vegetal and resin.
Mouth with huge freshness, penetrating acidity and long aftertaste. Fantastic

Centro de Estudos de Nelas 1994
Really interesting aroma. Aromatic, with hints of resin, aromatic herbs, some fruit and minerality.
Intense in the mouth with fantastic acidity. Beautiful wine


Reds

Luís Pato 1985
Nice aroma of caramel, old wood and sweet herbs.
Wine with nice structure and tannins.

Sidónio Sousa Caves Valdarcos 1985
Didn't expect for this. A concentrated wine, full of fruit, varnish and toast.
Still young in the mouth with strong and vigorous tannins. Impressive wine the has not reached yet the peak.

Grupo dos 8 Bairrada 1988
Intense and spicy aroma. Showed some oxidation. Very tasty in the mouth with a dry and tannic end.

Buçaco Reserva 1983
Delicate in the aroma and intense. Sensual and tasty in the mouth. A great surpreise considering what i have had from these wines

Mouchão 1962
A few weeks ago i had tasted the 63 vintage that was really superb. This Mouchão it is a few steps behind but is still full with live, freshness and gives a lot of pleasure to drink.

Mouchão 1970
There are some wines that we don't expect much from them, but when they show beautiful we will be in a bliss. This Mouchão is one of those. Impressive concentrated color that would put me somewhere in the nineties.
Really concentrated in the nose, with fruty aromas and lot of spices.
So tasty in the mouth, with nonstop freshness and long aftertaste. An anthem to great Portuguese wines.

Colares Visconde de Salreu 1967
Intense aroma of roasting, coffee, old wood and black tea.
Mouth with great acidity and vibrant.

Viuva José Gomes da Silva Reserva Velho 1965
Aroma de boa intensidade com notas de erva doce, muita madeira velha e algumas sugestões mentoladas.
Boca redonde a com alguma acidez.

Grantom Garrafeira 1958
Very fresh and aromatic.
Mouth full of vitality and with tannin still present

Ferreirinha Reserva Especial 1974
The second collection of masterful career of Reserva Especial. If it were to identify this wine with just a word, this would be no room for doubt the Elegance. This wine is elegant, delicate and with a matchless fresh.
In the mouth again elegance, freshness and intensity. Fantastic

Quinta do Côtto Bastardo 1973
Presented a beautiful color. Very well in the aroma with suggestions of pine leafs, coffee, some plum and smoke.
Mouth balanced and good freshness. Round and tasty. Great wine

Quinta do Carmo Garrafeira 1986
Very well in the aroma. Doesn't seem to have lost much of its intensity despite years now. It shows a deep and immaculate aroma.
Very tasty in the mouth. It is balanced and with tremendous strength. Long aftertaste. Great wine.

Quinta do Carmo Garrafeira 1987
To me it seemed to me lose some points for 86. Maintain the profile of Quinta do Carmo but this time already shows some notes of oxidation and can be considered less rich and less interesting than its predecessor. Still consider it a fine wine.
Let me say that this bottle was somewhat abused during their custody. So I give him the benefit of the doubt.

Valle Pradinhos 1986
This was tasted blind with the garrafeiras of Quinta do Carmo and looked to me that this was the least impressive. In the nose we would feel the Cabernet Sauvignon but looked a little tired by now.



Fortified

Delaforce Corte Vintage 1997
No significant evolution in color. Concentrated aroma with black fruit, some vanilla and some floral.
Very well in mouth, with great balance between sugar and acidity. Silky tannins that gives us a great tasting by now. Liked this one

Smith Woodhouse Vintage 1980
Very well in color, as was tasted blind, led me to years of the decade of 90. Aroma of plums, grapes and cherries that are associated with notes of tobacco.
Not being a colossus of structure, in the mouth, maintains a certain unctuous strain. It seemed to me something hot at the end. Needed more decanting time. I liked very much this Vintage Port


Niepoort Tawny 1927
This wine is part of Rolf Niepoort, which received as a tribute from his father, when Rolf was born. It was never sold and only 350 bottles were bottled.
Neither know where to begin. Fantastic color for a wine this year. It is not ambar because of reddish reflexed that shows.
In the nose is the complexity that drives. Rich and intense has many notes of roasting, caramel, cherry and even some spices and english cake.
Velvety mouth, rich, deep and intense with a apotheosis Aftertaste. Never drank nothing like this and i don't have any doubts in place it at the top of my preferences. It was an honour for me to have drunk this great tribute.


Estrangeiros

Vega Sicilia Único 1986
The years do not seem to go through this wine. Color with heavy concentration.
After decanting, the drain to the glass released instantly notes of black olives. Meanwhile starting up the notes of tobacco, ripe fruit, spices and some leather.
Very Full body and power, this wine almost exploded with sensations in the mouth of ripe fruit. Finished perfect and long. Even with great life for their front this is really one of the world great wines.

Weingut Keller Westhofener Kirschspiel Riesling 2004
Very intense with many mineral notes, tropical fruit, peach and flowers.
Creamy mouth with excellent acidity. It is difficult to stop drinking this Riesling. Absolutely addictive.

Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese 2001
Yellow color. Aroma of candied fruit, feeling botritys and very much minerality.
Full mouth and vigorous but at the same time delicate with such tasty notes. Final long and full of pleasure. A great wine

Champagne R&L Legras Cuvée St Vincent Blanc de Blancs 1996
Here goes the prize for the most fantastic nose. In the attack a fabulous aroma of bakery that is associated with apples and vanilla. All this at a phenomenal intensity.
Fine bubble and mousse that are so delicate that bring us very close to perfection. What fine champagne.

Coche-Dury Mersault 1999
Beautiful and bright yellow. Aroma very complex with mineral notes and citrus. In the nose elegance is the predominant note where the perfect balance between wine and wood is so revealing.
Creamy mouth, explosive, intense and deep. Ends really long and with class. Superb.

Domaine Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 2004
Very delicate in aroma, mysterious. Notes of wild fruit, spices and some vegetable.
Silky and elegant ending with perfect balance.

Domaine Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 2005
More concentrated than the previous, even in color, is a wine whose scents are much easier to enjoy. The notes of strawberries and spices give intensity in the aroma.
Easier to approach and probably more palatable than its predecessor. I liked more the 2004

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche 2002
Tasted blind after the Rousseau's and i felt more intensity and complexity. Fine and delicate aroma with notes of red fruit, spice and some vegetal. Very complex as i was like an hour just seeing the changes in aroma. As time gone by, this wine became more focused and more elegant.Harmonious and balanced
More alegance in the mouth, more balance, more depth. Superb

Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva 1995
Color of great concentration. Aromas of ripe fruit, liquorice and toast.
Beam of great power and structure. A wine for many years. A great wine.

Joao,
Thanks for the all the TN's, thats quite a line up

What a fun read and what a great way to celebrate Dia de Portugal. In San Jose, California I was supposed to go and celebrate at the big party they do down there, but unfortunately it was the same time I was on my family vacation.

As to the 1927 Niepoort, it would be great to try that one. I have had the 1927 Vintage Port by Niepoort ... also very rare and fantastic to say the least. But I have not had the '27 Colheita that I can remember and I am pretty sure, I would not forget that one.

Would you please take your Port TNs and place them individually in the Port Tasting Note Forum. We are getting very close to launching the new searchable database for our user's tasting notes and it would be great to have yours there Joao!

Thanks for the very interesting read on those wines. Lots of great Burgs too! If you like the 2002 La Tache which I think is a fantastic young white Burg ... I hope that you have the opportunity to try the 1999 ... if you haven't already. One of the greatest young Burgs I've ever tried! The '99 Coche Meursault is fantastic, only had it once and it blew by socks off. Of all white Burgs, I am most fond of Meursault for the oily texture and mouthfeel and transparency of terrior that I find more interesting than any other white wine on the planet. Yummy.

Thanks for the kind words Roy.

I can see you're back. I will post those TN's in the right Place with anothers that i have.

Here is the 1927 from Niepoort that i speak of.

Now that is a cool label!