susieandpeter.com · February 2012

Portugal’s Top 10NEWS

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Portugal’s Top 10

Monday, February 20th, 2012(by peter)

Courtesy of a flying visit to Porto, I’ve just been lucky enough to taste 45 noteworthy Portuguesewines as part of the Top 10 Vinhos Portugueses competition.

This annual event is organised by the team behind the Portuguese Wine magazine. They bringtogether the 45 wines on current release they have rated highest over the last year and put theminto a blind tasting, judged by a motley collection of wine bods like me, with the aim of selecting thetop ten.

Of course, you could argue that the initial selection already puts a certain spin on the procedure.But Wine is a respected publication, and judging from 45 is certainly far more manageable thanfrom the veritable ocean of wines in the Essência do Vinho fair taking place outside in the samebuilding (and about which I’ll write a bit more in due course).

It’s one snapshot of Portuguese wine – and a welcome one as far as I’m concerned, another chanceto gain an insight into this fascinating, fast-evolving wine scene.

All wines were tasted blind, across eight flights – whites then reds then port. I actually tasted thewines the day after the official tasting had happened so had the stunningly ornate, gilded ArabianRoom in the Palácio da Bolsa all to myself, which was quite a surreal experience. (And may alsomean that the bottles I tasted showed differently from those tasted by the majority of the panel.)

My tasting notes are below, organised not by tasting order (which turned out to be regionally segregated) but instead by descending order of preference,which I think makes for easier reading.

There were 45 wines in total in the tasting: eight whites, 31 reds and six ports. It was interesting to see the overwhelming representation from the Douro:23 wines in all (of which 20 were reds), while only one red from the Dão and one from Bairrada featured – disappointingly, in my book, as I’d loved tohave tasted more from these regions. All whites were from the cooler 2010 vintage; all reds were from the warmer 2009 vintage. There were no tawnies inthe port flight – only vintages, which struck me as odd.

I had some clear preferences (Julia Kemper, Dão Sul, Quinta da Rosa, Cortes de Cima, Quanta Terra, Roquette & Cazes etc). But the consensus verdict,released on Friday night, was as below (you can also find it via this link.) I’m not quite sure if the top white, red and port all tied for first place, or if onerepresentative had to be elected from each category, but I believe it’s the former.

The Top Ten Portuguese Wines 2012 (the consensus verdict)

1 – Soalheiro Alvarinho Primeiras Vinhas 2010, Vinho Verde (Vinussoalherio)

Reds

White

1 – CV – Curriculum Vitae Douro 2009 (Lemos & Van Zeller)

2 – Quinta da Rosa, La Rosa Reserva Douro 2009

3 – Tiago Cabaço Blog’09, Vinho Regional Alentejano

4 – Xisto Douro 2009

5 – Quinta da Manoella Vinhas Velhas Douro 2009

6 – J 2009, Vinho Regional Alentejano (José Maria da Fonseca Vinhos)

7 – Quinta Vale D. Maria Douro 2009

8 – Solar dos Lobos Grande Escolha 2009, Vinho Regional Alentejano

Port

1 – Warre’s Vintage port 2009 (Symington)

There’s a fair bit of overlap here with my results – La Rosa, Xisto, Warre’s 2009 and Vinussoalheiro were all wines I rated highly – as well as the odddisparity (the Quinta da Manoella was my least favourite red of all). But that’s often how these things work out with lots of different tasters approachingthe same wines, and with me tasting on a different day.

Overall, there were quite a lot of what I’d term mediocre wines. This may have been the warm 2009 vintage making for slightly hotter, less elegant stylesof red. The least successful wines generally were those that didn’t sing – they had either been flattened by winemaking (extraction/oak) or dull fruit, aresult of poor quality viticulture. Neither are excusable.

The best wines, by contrast, were a dazzling blend of vibrancy, scent and power, butalways with that grippy, elegantly bittersweet zeal that typifies the best Portuguesewines and makes them such good matches for food.

I was slightly surprised at how well the Alentejo/Alentejano reds showed, with somereal elegance and definition, not just the ripe supple fruit for which this area isfamous. But, perhaps partly a result of weight of numbers, the Douro put in a veryimpressive performance too.

In general, I’d say that one of the biggest challenges for Portuguese red producers isexcess alcohol and just generally overdoing things. But the good news is that thewines so often have such vivid natural character that the winemakers really don’tneed to force the issue. Too often were wines overdone when in reality they needed tobe slightly underdone (witness my oft-repeated tasting note: ‘shame!’).

Winemakers, above all professions, should be profoundly aware of the famousdictum: ‘less is more’. There is a fine line between undercooked (sour/harsh) and just right. It’s a far harder high-wire act to execute than treading the linebetween big and super big. But its results are so much more rewarding.

www.niepoort-vinhos.com

susieandpeter.com · February 2012 02

TASTING ‘Top 10 Vinhos Portugueses’

WHITES

Encontrol 1 Bairrada Branco 2010 (Dão Sul) – Fresh green apple rind + pithy lemon zest. Pleasantly aromatic. Spicy, quite grippy on the palatewith some very elegant creamy texture. This is really quite complex and deftly assembled. Lots of elements at play here, all harmonious. Impressive!Needs a year or two to settle. 7.5-(8)/10

Julia Kemper Dão Branco 2010 (Cese) – Wow! Challenging and gutsy. Notes of cheese rind& glazed cream. Nuttily reductive. A bit rustic in feel – but not too bad for it. Creamy texture,powerful lemony core. Grippy, spicy. Young! Mouth-filling. Characterful, very Portuguese in itsnutty earthy cheesiness. Edgy. 7.5/10

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susieandpeter.com · February 2012 03

Guru Douro Branco 2010 (Wine & Soul) – Nutty, lactic, toasty. Lots of oak here! Notunattractive tho. Smooth textured, nice lemony pithy flavour but without a real grippy steely acidcore. Very nicely made oaked (Douro?) white. Not too alcoholic or sweet: oak’s marked it but notsmothered it. Seems young. 7/10

Soalheiro Alvarinho Primeiras Vinhas 2010, Vinho Verde (Vinussoalherio) - Nutty,gently reductive nose. Subtle. Gentle candied citrus + blanched tangerine rind. Palate is elegantlytextured; nice pithy core with spicy hints. Good white: savoury, elegantly put together. Niceconcentration. Pretty persistent. 7/10

Redoma Reserva Douro Branco 2010 (Niepoort) – Gently nutty, herbal, appley nose.Fluid, graceful, elegantly textured. Nice gently pithy palate. Oak is deftly done. Succulent, quietlycharacterful, pretty persistent. Grows on you. Maybe a touch spicy on the finish. 7-6.5/10

Soalheiro Alvarinho 2010, Vinho Verde (Vinussoalherio) - Decent lemon hue. Subtlestony citrus aromas. Good tangerine acidity. Bit short and worked on the finish though – wouldprefer more linearity and freshness. But it’s pretty decent, characterful white. Nice texture andgrip. 6-6.5/10

Duas Quintas Reserva Douro Branco 2010 (Adriano Ramos Pinto) – Pithy lemon and green apple nose. Fluid, soft-textured. Nice fresh cleanrounded white – very good everyday white wine for the modern white consumer. Almost Italianate but less tangy. Just a very decent gluggable non-aromatic white that’s not OTT. 6/10

Quinta dos Carvalhais Encruzado Dão Branco 2010 (Sogrape) – Soft, herbal, glazed cream and baked apple nose. Soft in impression… plumpand very enjoyable but lacks conviction and serious intent. Very much an Andrex wine, if impressively made in that context. A crowd-pleaser withoutbeing too characterful. Quite persistent. 6/10

REDS

Quinta da Rosa, La Rosa Reserva Douro 2009 – Lovely nose of violets, dark berry fruit, bacon fat and hints of black pepper. Complex, exciting.Grippy but juicy, some nice fresh acid and tannin. Needs time but so lovely and juicy and lifted. This is brilliant modern Portuguese red: outstanding. NotOTT. Tannin needs to resolve. Maybe a tiny bit hot on finish. But super impressive. (8)-8.5/10

Cortes de Cima Reserva 2009, Vinho Regional Alentejano – Black pepper, dried flowers, plum and redcurrant fruit. Inviting. Juicy, tangy. Goodgrip, acid and very coherent. Really long. Very young, actually, this needs time to open up. Vigorous and lucid. Pretty tannic and earthy but not at alldrying. Needs food; will age; has complexity and nuance. Very good! 8/10

Quanta Terra Grande Reserva Douro 2009 – Earthy, dried fruit aromas with tobacco notes. Pleasant dried flowers too. Nice, elegant nose. Palate isjuicy and pretty complex. Overall a very cultured red with lots to it. Seems aged a bit already but with long life ahead too. Good structuring acidity, vergeson austere but really actually is very concentrated and layered. Needs food. Serious stuff. Grows on you. Maybe tiny bit hot and creamy on finish but hasthe fruit and structure to carry it. Very serious, very impressive. 8/10

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susieandpeter.com · February 2012 04

Xisto Douro 2009 (Roquette & Cazes) – Lovely floral dark berry fruit nose. Really lifted and inviting. Fluid, graceful, gently bittersweet, refreshing.A tiny bit creamy and hot/bitter on the finish but put it with rich meaty dishes. Classic stuff. 8/10

Tiago Cabaço Blog’09, Vinho Regional Alentejano – Dried and fresh cherries – some age here? Earthy. Touch jammy. But also some dried flowernotes. Nice and fluid; compact, refreshing, touch of spice. I like it! Pretty high acid, a bit edgy, but really refreshing and foodie and coherent. Not veryshouty, a bit like old school Burgundy with a bit more oomph and goat to it. Really invigorating on the finish. Maybe a touch rasping?! But generally verygood! 7.5-8/10

Esporão Private Selection Alentejo 2009 – Catholic aromas: some incense and candle wax. Inviting, in a perfumed and slightly monastic sort ofway. But then the palate is juicy and refreshing and savoury…lovely! Grippy, a bit woody it’s true, but really lovely coherence, freshness and lift. Blend oftraditional character with real elegance. Very nice; just wish they’d used a bit less wood/extraction. 7.5/10

Duorum Reserva Old Vines Douro 2009 – Elegant floral, earthy, dark fruit aromas. Juicy, grippy but not at all overdone. Graceful. Quite broad andnot super structured in acidity but it’s very harmonious and elegantly put together. I like the modesty of this wine, grown in warm area, but made with agentle hand. Very good actually. (7)-7.5/10

Batuta Douro 2009 (Niepoort) - Medium, even paleish hue. Wild red berry fruit nose, hints of damp earth. Intriguing… Grippy, fluid, juicy. Nicelycondensed and direct. A little bit limited in scope but it’s a lovely style, refreshing and pretty typical. Some old school elements but that’s nice to retain.This needs to resolve– give it time. 7-7.5/10

Chryseia P+S Douro 2009 (Symington) – Inviting nose without being too forceful. Floral + pithy cherry hints. Graceful, fluid, polished. Some lovelyfloral lift here. It’s just a tiny bit lacking in focus on the finish – shame – a bit hot and hollow. But overall it’s a glamorous, elegantly crafted modernPortuguese red that’s very impressive. I’d just like a bit more freshness and coherence on the finish. 7/10

J 2009, Vinho Regional Alentejano (José Maria da Fonseca Vinhos) - Hints of earth, cloves, dried flowers. Succulent palate with OK underlyingacidity. A bit stodgy on the palate, lacks driving acid, and a bit extracted. But not bad. Just a bit gloupy rather than driven. And a bit creamy too. Decentbut not great. 6.5/10

Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional Douro 2009 – Dried flowers, dried cherries. Juicy, fluid. Grippy and bittersweet. Needs food! But I like thedrive and grip of this style. Has juice and vim. A little bit grainy and bitter but I think this works in an edgy style. A bit austere but worthwhile. 6.5/10

Quinta do Vallado Reserva Douro 2009 – Nice dried red fruit, cherry kernel and dried floral notes. Quite upright on the palate – juicy acid, firmishthough not super forceful tannins. Touch of floral lift. It’s a bit hot and prickly; but also some nice fruit softness in there. Just comes up a little bit dryingand hot on the finish. 6.5-6/10

Quinta dos Avidagos Grande Reserva Douro 2009 – Brooding. Dark spice, dark choc on the nose, not super scented. Some pithy red and darkberry fruit emerges. It’s OK, a bit forced and extracted, lacks drive and freshness. Some florality. Seems a self-consciously impressive red, masculine andsinewy, and lacks drinkability and life for it. 6.5-6/10

Quinta Vale D. Maria Douro 2009 -Floral, slightly stewy nose. Dense, grippy: I like what they’re trying to do here. But doesn’t harmonise particularlywell. Nice floral lifted berry fruit. Good juicy fresh acid. But a bit raw and hot. Needs toning down a notch or two. 6.5-6/10

[…]

which is a bit hot and hollow. Shame! Was doing very well. Touch creamy too. Could do with bit less work/oak, more freshness. 4.5/10

Quinta do Vesúvio Douro 2009 – Caramel, dried flowers, dried fruit, glazed cream. A bitwatery and hollow on the palate. Some tannic grip. Shame. Some nice elements but a bit tootraditional and lacking core focus. 6-5.5/10

CH by Chocapalha Vinho Regional Lisboa 2009 – Incense aromas; lovely floral clovenotes but also a touch of reduction lurking underneath too. Spicy, bit angular on the palate.Shame! Comes up a bit awkward overall as a result. Not easy to drink. 5.5/10

Quinta de S. José Grande Reserva Douro 2009 – Briney, shrimp-like nose. Red fruits. It’sdecent, fine, grippy and relatively structured. But fails to excite really. Some candle wax/floralcomplexity. But no real vim and vigour and drive. 5.5/10

Quinta dos Abibes Sublime Bairrada 2009 – A bit woody on the nose; creamy balsa redfruit, plum. Grippy acid and firmish tannin, moderate in scope. But a bit dried out and too woodyfor the fruit. Old school, not super impressive. 5/10

Marquês de Borba Reserva Alentejo 2009 (J Portugal Ramos Vinhos) - Not veryexpressive – gentle floral dark cherry nose. A bit grainy and inconsequential. Cheap? 5/10

Scala Coeli Alentejo 2009 (Fundação Eugénio de Almeida) - Elegant floral candle waxnose. Slightly jammy red and dark berry fruit. Juicy, touch of spice, really nice until the finish,

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susieandpeter.com · February 2012 05

Omlet Douro 2009 (Niepoort) – Slightly jammy red fruit. Bit watery. And texturally a bit angular. Not very impressive, a bit dried out. 4/10

Passadouro Reserva Douro 2009 – Balsa wood and red fruit aromas. Tannic. Lacking fresh fruit. Hot. Not very impressive. 4/10

Quinta Casa Amarela Grande Reserva Douro 2009 – Caramel. Slightly dusty/musty. Out of condition. 2nd bottle still a bit malty andundistinguished. Lacks coherence and charm. 4/10

Quinta da Manoella Vinhas Velhas Douro 2009 – Floral, cherry and something else, like pear drops. Pretty harsh and angular, lacks beauty andgrace. Over extracted. Confected too. Odd combo. 3/10

PORTS

Dow Quinta Senhora da Ribeira Vintage port 2009 (Symington) – Deep youthful hue, purple rim. Nice floral and black pepper aromas. Lovelyvintage port scent. Spicy, grippy, savoury. Lovely purity and zest and balance. Not at all hot or disjointed. Really impressive stuff. Seems graceful, like avery good single quinta vintage style. Bit fiery on finish but very very good. 8.5/10

Niepoort Vintage port 2009 – Deep hue, tight rim. Creamy peppery dark fruit. Cogent, lovely textural softness but with good grip, lift and fire on thefinish. Very impressive indeed. Needs time but very approachable. Bit fiery. 8-8.5/10

Warre’s Vintage port 2009 (Symington) – Leafy, peppery, dense dark fruit. Classic. Juicy, vibrant, fresh, peppery, really cogent and harmonious.Delicious! Very well made. 8-(8.5)/10

Taylor’s Vintage port 2009 (Fladgate) – Deep, with tight rim. Nose not amazing but good fiery grippy juicy dark fruit palate. Needs time! Lots ofimpressive elements here that need time to come together. Aristocratic in feel. 7.5-8/10

Quinta do Vesúvio Vintage port 2009 (Symington) – Slightly stewed plummy fruit. But nice density and real coherent grip on the palate. Not aslucid and harmonious as some here but very nicely done. 7.5/10

Fonseca Vintage port 2009 (Fladgate) - Very dense dark hue, tight rim. Bit baked on nose. Not super vibrant. Sweet, forceful, a bit tannic. Not myfavourite style – too baked and lacking grip and freshness. Slightly gritty and inelegant. 6.5/10