This evening was all about Portugal and we were to taste a number of wines and ports. Many of the team had tried different ports but when it came to Portuguese wines, the majority of our team had limited experience. Raymond was determined to showcase Portugal and prove that there are some really exciting wines to rival more popular countries.
Raymond set up his company in 1990 to promote and distribute Fine Portuguese Wines and Ports in the UK. He was born in Portugal, and recieved his early education in that country. He obtained a BSc in Chemistry at Leicester University (1980) and then supplemented this with a Diploma of Oenology at Bordeaux University in 1982. He then worked for Taylor Fladgate and Yeatman in Vila Nova de Gaia reaching the position of senior winemaker. This gave him invaluable experience and insight into the emerging Portuguese wine industry.
What is so unique to Portugal and its wines is the incredible variety of indigenous grape varietals, many of which are capable of making high-quality wines. Bairrada claims Baga (for reds) and Bical (for whites) as its own, while Port fave Touriga Nacional.
So lets get started with the whites:
1. Montinho Branco 2008 - The grapes for this wine are sourced north of Lisbon and vinified in Redondo where the grapes were pressed whole and the juice decanted prior to cool fermentation in steel vats. It was then allowed to mature for 3 months on fine lees before bottling in June 2008. Fresh fruit and citrus aromas, with soft acidity and enticing flavours all the way through its very pleasant palate. Grapes used are Arinto, Vital, Moscatel & Sauvignon.
Nice start to the tasting. Clean and fresh palate with definite apple and pear fruit. Nice little Moscatel notes. Very easy drinking and general thumbs up from everyone. There were already some surprised faces! 7-7.5/10 Points.
2. Luis Pata Maria Gomes - Luis Pato pulled out of the Bairrada DOC in 1999 (the region's winemaking regulations) as he found them too limiting and declassified his wines under the Vinho Regional Beiras appellation to give him more freedom - think of Italy's Super Tuscans for example. This decision marked a growing momentum of his winery, which started major improvements fifteen years previously.
Maria Gomes is a grape variety that tends to add a pepperiness to the wines much like Gruner Veltliner which we all love at Dunell's so we were looking forward to trying this. It is perfumed with a lees noses/palate which gives richness - you would almost think that it was slightly oaked. It is silky, clean and smooth with a zingy finish. Its personality is given depth by the fact that the lees are stirred. A little light on the finish but very nice. Thumbs up again! 7-7.5/10 Points.
3. Quinta do Côa Branco 2008 - Here we have barrel fermented Douro grapes from an organic vineyard that was planted in 1966. Nice richness from the old vines delivering great minerality. Notes of pear and apple. Dry and clean with excellent length. This is good. 7.5-8/10 points.
The Reds....
4. Quinta do Correio Tinto 2006 - Located in the small hamlet of Abrunhosa do Mata in the Dão. The wine is fresh and clean with herbal brambly fruit. Quite jammy with good tannic structure leading to quite a dry finish. This is food wine similar in style to wines from the Rhone. Good. 6.5/7/10 points.
5. Quinta do Côa Tinto 2007 - The 2007 is the latest release of the Douro red. Full bodied, this wine has a richer, riper red fruited nose with good length. Clean with some nice spicy notes. Good. 7/10points.
6. Monte da Peceguina Tinto 2007 - A deeply concentrated red wine, Malhadinha Nova’s 2007 Monte Da Peceguina was produced from the Alentejo region of Portugal. In Alentejo some of the best wines are still pressed by foot, even at wineries such as Malhadinha Nova, that are equipped with the latest scientific winemaking equipment. This is a full bodied wine with chocolate hints on the nose and ripe red fruit palate. It is rich and elegant and VERY drinkable. Very very good. Unfiltered and unfined, there was a slight sediment so would recommend decanting. This wine would be a perfect accompaniment to chicken, steaks and herbed pastas. Neil loved it! 8.5/10 points.
7. Niepoort Drink Me Red 2006 - Lovely lighter styled clean red. Nice black fruit with a hint of sweet ripe fruit and spice. Elegant. Good acidity and appealing structure. 8/10 Points
8. Quinta de Macedos Pinga do Torto 2004 - Pinga is a Portuguese expression meaning a 'drop' of real character. When the producers looked into the vat of this wine, with its deep purple hue and aromas of rich and dense fruit, it seemed to express the real Torto character. So they named it Pinga do Torto. It's a blend made up of young Touriga National and some barrel matured wines from ancient vines at Quinta de Macedos.
Paul Reynolds purchased this ancient 6.5 Ha vineyard in 1998, after many years of despair at observing the neglect to which it was subjected. The Winery and House were duly renovated and the first wine was made at the property in 2000. Helped by his brother Raymond, (yes this is Raymonds wine), the wines are “naturally” made by traditional methods (lagares) and allowed to mature at their own pace in new oak barriques. Tiny yields result in great complexity and intensity. These plots contain at least 16 different local grape varieties. A new 1.5Ha vineyard was planted in 1999 respecting the original varietal mix.
This is a beautiful wine, very elegant and perfumed. Very feminine with lovely red fruit and very smooth tannins. The palate is concentrated and has a dry, slightly spicy finish. Showing a little age colour wise but it is still really excellent and is guaranteed to surprise you! 8.5/10 Points.
Onto the Ports....
9. Niepoort Drink Me Series - Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee.
Niepoort is a family company now in its fifth generation and as a port house, Niepoort enjoy an unparalleled reputation for tradition even though it is one of the smaller producers in the region.
Inspired by Alice in Wonderland characters these are classic Niepoort's for enjoyment without the 'shackles' of Port's traditions. What Dirk feels are Ports that are enjoyable to drink as wines and elegant in style. Ruby and Tawny dee both begin as the same port and then they are split in half. Here are their descriptions:
Ruby Dum - Of the Niepoortland twins, although similar at the outset, with time, Ruby Dum retains its youthful, headstrong character, dominated by red cherries and plums with great freshness from ageing in large wooden vats in our cool cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia.
Tawny Dee - Of the Niepoortland twins, although similar at the outset, with time, Tawny Dee acquires great wisdom and subtleness through ageing in small old oak casks in our cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia exhibiting discrete characters of dried stone fruits.
The team loved these ports. They are approachable and easy drinking and particularly perfect if you are new to Ports. We also (as a little bit of experimentation) put the two Ports back together again and we were actually surprised that the 'new' assemblage was also really good. A great combination - well done to Alick for that suggestion!
10. Niepoort Tawny - To produce a fine balance and flavour Niepoort Tawny ages in oak casks for 3 1/2 years. Freshness, lightness and balance are the key elements of this wine. A Port easy to drink on any occasion. Tawny has a shiny bright colour and soft and sweet tannins. Tawny port keeps well for several years, although the wine will not improve with age. It contains no sediment and need not be decanted. We tried this slightly chilled and it was gorgeous. Palate filled with chocolate and caramel notes. Yum!
11. Niepoort Late Bottle Vintage 2004 - Late Bottled Vintage port is from a single year. The wine ages 4-6 years in old oak casks (opposed to Vintage that ages 2-3). LBV fills the gap between the rubies and the vintage ports since a Ruby Port should be drunk quite young and a great Vintage Port may need 15 to 20 years to really open up and show its splendour. This led to the idea in the 1960s to age the wine 4 to 6 years in large casks before bottling it, thereby producing a wine with the style of a Vintage Port with its deep colour and concentration of fruit but with a more mature character caused by the longer ageing in wood.
Late botted vintage is the perfect port to accompany chocolate desserts, specially if dark/bitter chocolate is used! We loved it spicy, firey pepperiness. Excellent!
12. BLIND TASTING of Niepoort's Quinta do Passodouro 1997 - Wow, this is lovely. Very spicy and dominated by red berry scents. It is big but elegant and the palate has much sweet fruit, resolved structure, good depth and and exceptionally fine and ripely acidic aftertaste. Very good. We loved it and would be perfect for a special occasion. A perfect way to end a meal!
13. Madeira Barbeito
Madeira is a fortified wine style from the volcanic Atlantic island of Madeira, part of Portugal. The wine’s distinctive flavour comes from a special heating process. Traditionally, casks are left in warm lofts to maderize over a number of years (canteiro wines), although a cheaper process used for lesser wines involves heating the wines artificially in concrete or stainless steel tanks known as estufas. Because of this heat exposure, Madeiras are pretty much bomb proof and will drink well from an opened bottle for a number of weeks or even months. The market for Madeira in the UK is tiny, at 35 000 bottles, and this is heavily dominated by two companies – the Madiera Wine Company (Blandy’s, Cossart, Leacock’s et al) and Henriques and Henriques – who account for 95% of the UK market. It’s also staggeringly seasonal, with over 90% of sales each year in the lead up to Christmas.
Barbeito is a recent addition to Raymond Reynolds and their first venture into Madeira. Barbeito is a family-owned company formed in 1946, and their philosophy is to offer 100% canteiro wines, with no added caramel or deacidification. This is authentic Madeira.
Single Harvest 1997 - Tinta Negra Mole from the north of the island is traditionally a bulk variety, but Barbeito are trying to show that it’s possible to produce interesting wines from it. This is a supreme aperitif enhanced by accompaning with roasted almonds, parma ham or hard sheeps cheese. It has a wonderfully complex nose with spice, vanilla and caramel notes. The palate is medium sweet with a lovely texture and spice. It wasn't everyone's cup of tea but then again food would have probably changed everyone opinion. Unfortunately we only had french bread to eat....nevermind....next time...
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Thank you so much to Raymond for such an informative and interesting tasting. We all now have more confidence in Portuguese wines and we look forward to receiving our new range very soon.