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Fifty Great Portuguese Wines 2009: Part 1

"This wine smells of fish!", came the loud proclamation from the taster standing next to me, who was escorting a seemingly wealthy client around the wines on show. In fact, he had a point; there was a nuance here, nothing overt, but a certain little hint of crispy, fried, fish skin. It was an unusual wine, pale in hue like a rosé, but with the unrelenting grip of a hard Barolo, all tannin and acidity, providing a feel in the mouth that seemed totally out of keeping with its appearance in the glass. The name of the cuvée in question, Bastardo (which is the name of the grape variety), fit perfectly.

This one wine illustrates nicely what makes Jamie Goode's 50 picks of the best of Portuguese wine, an annual event which began in 2005 with Richard Mayson and continues next year with Sarah Ahmed, so fascinating. Yes there are a few really unusual flavours and styles, although admittedly most are at least conventional in terms of structure and substance. Look beneath this approachable layer of conventionality, however, and you realise what makes Portuguese wines (or at least these 50 examples) so special. First, wonderfully enticing flavours of gamey meats and appropriately ripe (rather than over-ripe) fruits, nuances of minerals and more. Secondly, great freshness of structure, with bright acidity and a balanced tannic backbone despite the warm sun that no doubt baked overhead as the fruits ripened on the vine. Thirdly, great distinction of style; beyond Bastardo there are wines here made from little-travelled varieties such as Loureiro and Trincadeira, teinturiers such as Sousão and Alicante Bouschet, familiar grapes under unfamiliar pseudonyms including Aragonês and Tinta Roriz (both Tempranillo) and even some wines made from complex field blends involving as many as 41 varieties. If you are a "life-lister" keen on ticking off a few names of grape varieties tasted then you could do a lot worse than come to this event!

I spent several hours at the tasting, and tasted all the wines twice, only stopping to take lunch when halfway through. The level of quality of the wines was remarkably high, and although there were a few wines which didn't strike a harmonious chord with my palate, there were a great number of considerable appeal, including a handful which were really stunning, and I hope my notes and scores reflect that.

I have ordered my notes by region, which is exactly how they were tasted, looking at Vinho Verde and Minho first, the origin of the only five white wines in the tasting, followed by 45 reds dealt with region-by-region. For simplicity's sake I have divided my notes into two, here moving on to the lone representative of Trás-os-Montes (a northerly region north and east of Douro and Vinho Verde) and then finishing up with the Douro, a well represented and very strong region. In part two - everything else! (9/6/09)

Fifty Great Portuguese Wines 2009 - Tasting Notes

Tasted in Edinburgh in April 2009. Click to locate stockists.

Giro Sol (Vinho Verde) 2007: This wine, made from 100% Loureiro, comes from a collaboration between Soalheiro and Dirk Niepoort. It has a very fresh, almost floral nose, backed up by a sense of chalky minerality. An attractive palate follows, nicely textured, impressive, sappy and fresh. It keeps a good weight through the middle, and shows fine minerally acidity. It finishes well, even showing a little grip here. Very good. 16.5/20

Soalheiro Primeiras Vinhas Colheita (Vinho Verde) 2007: A very expressive nose to this cuvée made from 100% Alvarinho (known in Spain as Albariño, the variety of Rias Baixas) here, with tangerine, lychee and other exotic fruits. There is a lot of depth and fruit complexity here. The palate is fresh, quite rounded, polished but firm and structured. There is a lot of grip in this wine; it even has the suggestion of tannin! A strong challenge to any Vinho Verde 'light and green' misconception. 17/20

Anselmo Mendes Alvarinho (Vinho Verde) 2007: Another pure Alvarinho wine from Anselmo Mendes, a well known consultant in the region. This wine has a great nose, with lots of pithy suggestion, alongside smoke and lemon cream. The palate is big, creamy, with soft acidity and notes of lemon pith and blossom. It is quite firm in character, with lemon meringue flavour, rather unfocused in the middle but tighter and more grippy at the end. A nice wine. 14.5+/20

Reguengo de Melgaço (Vinho Verde) 2006: This is Alvarinho again, and this example has an unusual nose, with elements of citrus fruit pith alongside more perfumed elements of talc and face cream. Quite a rich, fairly bright palate follows on, with nice substance and bright acidity. Quite broad, with more perfume towards the end. Good. 16+/20

Quinta do Ameal Escolha (Minho) 2007: This wine is made from 100% Loureiro, and is an oaked cuvee. On the nose it has notes of lemon pie, citrus fruits and fennel, the latter an oak-related aroma I would think. Feminine, perfumed, slightly soapy and with a moderate substance on the palate, this is a decent wine although overall it lacks sufficient acidity for my palate. 13/20

Covela Escolha (Minho) 2005: This is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and comes from an estate recently converted to biodynamics. The nose is dark, meaty and warm, gravelly with notes of roast plum. Nicely supple fruit on the palate, warm and spicy, with a lot of strong grip at the end. A substantial wine with rather gentle acidity by comparison. Good. 15.5/20

Afros (Vinho Verde) 2007: This is a red Vinho Verde made from Vinhão (also known as Sousão), a teinturier variety grown on a biodynamic estate. A fascinating and alluring nose, dark and meaty and yet very fresh and paradoxically bright at the same time. Ripe but lifted style, supple, this has a firm tannic backbone, spice and character, and piles of acidity. Overall, it's a nice wine. 16+/20

Valle Pradinhos Reserva 2005: This wine, pure Cabernet Sauvignon, has a remarkably ripe and sweet nose which immediately betrays the grape of origin, backed up by a sheen of oak. The palate has a lovely texture, ripely sweet and yet savoury and fresh, with lots of firms acids and light tannins. A very toothsome style. 16.5+/20

Conceito Bastardo (Vinho Regional Duriense) 2007: Conceito is the estate, Bastardo the grape variety, one that is rarely seen unblended due to its pale colour, and Duriense the region of origin - the wine was refused the Douro DO as the wine was judged to be atypical. This certainly comes through in this example, which has a very pale hue, more rosé than red. It has a thought-provoking nose, smoky and charcoaly, with a subtle hint of fried fish skin. The palate is full, seemingly a touch sweet at first, but less so in the midpalate. Despite its pale appearance it has a lot of texture and more than its fair share of spicy grip, and a pile of acidity too. This is big, firm and surprisingly aggressive, but not over the top. An interesting wine. 15+/20

Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional 2006: A pure Touriga Nacional cuvée, richly perfumed on the nose, with perfumed and crystalline fruit character. Dense, concentrated, just slightly meaty with a little hint of game and garrigue, this is very enticing. Nicely polished and composed, elegant at first, although with a firmer midpalate. Full of grip and firm acidity, this has a rather appealing structure and a good, savoury finish. Sappy and delicious, and really rather long. 17+/20

Quinta do Vale Dona Maria 2006: This wine comes from a remarkable field blend of 41 different varieties. There is rather a sheen of oak on the nose, but there is also plenty of plump, polished, creamy fruit too. The palate is elegantly done, broad, perhaps a touch detached, but towards the end it has a firmer character, based on some ripe tannins, and a good seam of acidity. Very stylish, very appealing, and finishing with a long grip. Very good wine. 17+/20

Quinta do Crasto Vinha Maria Teresa 2006: This is another field blend with up to 30 different varieties planted here. A special cuvée, before 2006 the Maria Teresa had only been produced in the 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2005 vintages. The nose is full of perfumed fruit, gamey and meaty, with lots of ripe sweetness. The palate shows a similar ripe creaminess, texture with chalky vanilla nuances. A modern style, with fruit touching upon a blueberry character, this also has elegance and balance, backed up by great substance and firm acidity. Towards the end it reveals a little more tannic grip, but overall this is very approachable - and delicious. 17.5+/20

Quinta do Vale Meão 2005: This is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz (the latter better known as Spain's Tempranillo). This has an intense and savoury colour, and the nose matches this savoury feel, ripe but restrained, spiced with notes of sandalwood. It is alluring and promising. The palate doesn't disappoint; there is creamy fruit, and elegant composition, finely polished tannins, fine acidity and overall an impressive substance and structure. It is also very long, revealing a beautifully perfumed edge here. This is great wine, with very fine potential. 18+/20

Poeira 2005: A wine sourced from a field blend of old vines, a composition usually denoted by the term Vinhas Velhas, made by Jorge Moreira, mentored by Dirk Niepoort. This has a remarkably gamey and characterful nose, rich but also perfumed with delicate, sweet, chalky elements. Ripe and expressive, with elements of liquorice, and again a paradoxical combination of sweet and savoury flavours. Broad, with sweetly fine tannins, underpinned by firm acidity, this is a wine of great potential. 17.5+/20

Quinta do Romaneira 2005: A blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão and Tinta Roriz from this estate which has the backing of Christian Seely. It has an interesting nose of bitter red fruits, with a little gamey and confected edge. The palate though is lovely; defined and elegant, composed, and allowing some nice minerality through to the fore. A detached style, impressive through the midpalate, although perhaps with a slightly burnt edge to the fruit at the finish. Nevertheless, it has a very good character overall. 17+/20

Quinta de S. José 2005: This wine is a blend of 45% Touriga Nacional, 15% Tinta Roriz and 40% Vinha Velhas, this latter phrase referring to a field blend of several varieties. The nose has plenty of dark fruit character, especially blueberry, ripe and concentrated; it is rather reminiscent of fresh summer berries, swirled in cream. Beautifully composed on the palate, quite restrained in terms of composure, rich and yet also elegant. This is a wine of substance and fine, almost gritty extract, providing a good balance of firms acids and tannins. And it is long, too. Excellent. 18+/20

Quinta de la Rosa Vale do Inferno 2005: Another blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca, this low production cuvée (just 1000 bottles in this vintage) has a huge character. On the nose it shows a little rubbery volatility, a gamey edge, and behind it all über-ripe fruit; this character comes through on the palate too, where there is a fruit pastille edge to it all. A core of ripe tannins and defining acidity provide some welcome structure, giving way to texture and length at the end. This is a very ambitious wine that won't appeal to all, but with time in the cellar it could do some very good things I think. 16.5-17+/20

Duorum Colheita 2007: A wine made from old Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz vines in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior regions. Bright and concentrated fruit on the nose, with a redcurrant and strawberry character, this has a ripe but minerally style with a floral, rose petal, perfumed edge. The palate is clean, pure, just slightly creamy, sappy and detached, also just that little bit oily which detracts. A nice bright, crisp acid core adds some pleasure, but the finish is short. 15.5/20

Quinta do Noval 2005: This well known Port house now also produces table wines, and this particular example is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Cão. It has dark and restrained fruit on the nose, with a backward, gamey, animally edge. The entry onto the palate has a cool style, followed by an elegant midpalate There is firm acidity, a gentle and ripe structure and fresh, minerally fruit. In the background there is a touch of game, a sappy character and a clean finish. Overall, a nice style. 16.5+/20

Pintas 2005: Another old vine field blend here, with more than 30 varieties included, from Jorge Borges and Sandra Tavares. A very dark and concentrated on the nose, with liquorice-tinged fruit and roasted herbs. The entry is rich and creamy, with subdued fruit hiding behind the texture, firm acidity and ripe, binding tannins. There are lots of excellent components here, and some sappy and savoury fruit elements. A wine of moderate length and great potential, this is really very good indeed. 18+/20

Quinta da Gaivosa Vinha de Lordelo 2005: Here we have a blend dominated by Sousão, Tinta Amarela and Touriga Nacional, although other varieties are included. This has a restrained, reserved character, with a slightly gamey, smoked meat edge, although with a nice sweetness too. Big and impressive on the palate, starting off creamy, then revealing a little more structure. In fact it is quite tight and grippy, the tannins dominating at present, and there are some firm acids here too. The tannins are long and rolling; this is a big, structured, vin de garde. 17.5+/20

Duas Quintas Reserva Colheita 2005: This wine is produced by Ramos Pinto; I am familiar with their Ports, but not the table wines. Touriga Nacional accounts for 80% of this blend, with 15% Touriga Franca and 5% Tinta Barroca. The nose isn't particularly expressive, showing only subtle deep-red fruits. The palate is gently creamy with ripe structure beneath, and has a very savoury and appealing flavour. An attractive composition, but on the critical side rather loose-knit and oily. It may be a little closed too, judging by the lack of aromatic impact. 15.5+?/20

Niepoort Robustus 2004: A wine from Dirk Niepoort, perhaps the best known name when it comes to Portuguese wines beyond Port. This is mostly Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Tinta Amarela, a blend producing dark and withdrawn fruit on the nose, intense and also slightly reduced. More supple and gentle than I expected on the palate, broad and yet elegant, gently stylish, savoury, overall a balanced middle weight. A nice little grip on the finish. An impressive wine. 17.5+/20

Casa Ferreirinha Barca Velha 2000: The name of this icon of Portuguese wine seems vaguely familiar to me, although I really know nothing of its heritage, and so I come to it like a novice, with no real expectations or preconceptions. It is a blend of Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cão, and there are 26000 bottles (and 1500 magnums) of this vintage produced. Approaching the wine the nose is the first sign this is something special. Wow! This has beautifully perfumed fruit, expressive and well defined, with a violet-tinged edge. The palate is lovely; maturing and elegant fruit, well composed, with some richness backed up by grainy but polished, elegant tannins. Broad, serious, harmonious, complex and savoury, this is a truly fabulous effort that is delicious now but does also appear to have the potential to cellar well. An excellent wine and for me clearly the wine of the tasting. 19+/20