Saturday, January 8, 2011

Portuguese old style, new style and freestyle


Viniportugal at Praça do Comércio
I started my long awaited Lisbon journey off with a flu, but came out on the other side this morning and was able to explore downtown again. Besides scouting out at a few garrafeiras, I also visited viniportugal in Praça do Comércio. At Viniportugal anyone is welcome to try wines for free, all they ask is your feedback. Featured regions in this month were Lisbon, Alentejo and Dão. Here are my notes on a handfull of wines that I tried..  

Quinta do Boiçao 2007
Arinto in great hands
100% Arinto
Nose of exotic fruits, flowers and nuts. Taste is light and fresh with notes of applejuice, yet finalize with notes of something creamy/nutty that lasts (+30sec). This is a great wine and I had no idea that Arinto could be this good. Quinta do Boição also produces reds and this appears to be a producer to look out for. 88P
Alfrocheiro, T.roriz (Tempranillo) & Jaen (Mencia)
Nose of dark red berries, leather and a piff of “sourness”. The taste is rounded and well structured. To me this wine represent a perhaps modern, but anonymous style. 84P
Quinta da Fata classic 06
Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro preto, T.roriz  & Jaen (Mencia)
Bouquet of red cherries, savory notes on a base of wet soil. The wine has a great structure, and while the bouquet weighs heavy in the glass, the wine is simply feather light. It reminded me somewhat of a Northern Bourgogne wine. I have been following Quinta da Fata for some years, and I keep wondering why this wine/brand is not doing better on the national and international markets. Quinta da Fata is even hard to find in Lisbon. It's old Dão wine at its best and 'a-dont-miss´wine in my book. 90P (sells at 7Eur at Viniportugal)
Two great reds and one forgettable
Quinta da Fata Reserva 2007
Touriga Nacional (50%), Alfrocheiro preto (15%), T.roriz (10%), Jaen (10%) & Trincadeira (10%)
Red cherries, leather, salted meat, and notes of barnyard. The taste is somewhat sweeter than the classic 2006 vintage. the taste is rounded and elegant. Please also read another review of this great and quite unknown wine on the Catavino site. 91P (sells at 9 Eur at Viniportugal)
Campolargo Dão 2007
Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, T.roriz (Tempranillo) & Pinot noir
Bouquet of strawberries, blood, wet stones, flinty, and barnyard/wild ferment.
Taste is well balanced. A new note came on the aftertaste that I did not pin down…till next time. However, Mario Campolargo has certainly made a flagship among Dão wines with this particular wine. It bows for Bourgogne, and I love it. 92P
- anders

4 comments:

winefactory said...

Hey Anders.

Glimrende blog! Jeg er nysgerrig, hvad er årsagen til din interesse for især Portugisik vino? (eller tager jeg helt fejl? )

vh
Rasmus
winefactory.dk

Anders Drud Jordan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Grapejuices said...

Nej det er skam helt rigtigt læst. jeg har familie i Portugal, og jeg spenderer derfor meget tid i landet. Det er i min optik et "glemt vinland", men det byder på opmod 21 unikke druesorter, gamle vinproduktionsmetoder og traditioner (gode som middelmådige) samt et finurligt køkken. :) vh Anders

winefactory said...

Jeg er helt enig!
Massere af rigtig spændende bordvine hvis man giver det en chance og ofre lidt mere end 3 for 120 i supermarkedet..
Så har det portvinen... ja det er jo et kapitel for sig selv ;)

Barca Velha har du erfaringer med den?
Jeg har en enkelt flaske 1991 liggende, som jeg gælder mig til at smage.