Tasting- Quinta da Alorna Chardonnay Reserva 2004, Ribatejo White

Last thursday was saint valentine´s day and I decided to make a surprise dinner to my wife. Perch on fire, with some vegetables, and to drink Quinta da Alorna Reserva 2004 Chardonnay. I already tasted this wine, two years ago, and in that time I had the idea that it was a good wine but missing something to be a outstanding one. The colour is yellow, with a exotic nose (mango and pineapple) very intense. On the palate we have sweet fruit with vanilla well balanced. Not a very long finish. Probably missing some acidity. I´m surprised with the wine shape passing 3 years from the bottling date. 5€. 88Pts

Tasting - Esporão, Reserva Branco 2006

To celebrate a very special day for me and my girlfriend nothing better than a special dinner for 2... in Santa Maria de Lamas there´s a very interesting restaurant called «Aquarela» with a very nice selection of Portuguese and Italian food and a not so very interesting selection of Portuguese and Italian wines to match :) it still (and for sure) deserves a visit.... We choose Esporão Reserva Branco 2006 to celebrate and we haven't regret the 14.0 € we paid for it... Made with the typical Alentejo white grape, Antao Vaz and blended with Arinto and Roupeiro with an avarage age of 15 years old, it aged for 6 months in american oak barrels following a stainless steel fermentation... The colour is gold, light gold... in the nose shows a rich tropical fruit character enhancing mostly pinnapple but also passionfruit. Vannilla and some mineral hints were noticed too.... in the mouth shows balance, good acidity, good wood integration and freshness! Long and pleasent finnish...

Nice way to celebrate... next year we'll be back.... for the wine, food, restaurant - 88 Points

Tasting- Pesquera Reserve 2003, Ribera Del Duero red wine

Last saturday I had a dinner in my brother´s house. To join the duck rice I choosed a Pesquera reserva 2003. The wine has a ruby colour. The nose shows red fruit, strawberrys, flowers and a good toast from the oak aging. On the palate the wine is very ellegant. Good acidity, fruit, good structure and good vanilla ending. A very good balanced wine. Has a long finish. In the end, I had a surprise, my brother showing interest in wine tasting. With the scale we posted he said "I give 85-89 points. It's a very good wine". 30€. 91 pts

Tasting – Quinta do Côa, Douro White 2006

Yesterday was the Carnaval and I took this day to go to the Douro Superior for pruning some vines there, spring is coming fast. After a hard working morning, lunch and time to choose the wine…
The Quinta de Côa belongs to CARM, a wine company which is also known for producing top quality olive oils. Their vineyards are located around the village of Almendra, within the finest area of the Douro Superior. This 06 white is made from the grape varieties, Côdega de Larinho, Rabigato and Gouveio and aged in new French oak barrels.
Light straw yellow colour. Mineral nose, lemon, tropical with hints of pineapple and passion fruit. Attractive mouth feel, citrus, minerality again, freshness, lots of fruit combined with toasty flavours from new oak. Nice acidity with medium finish. Not profound but nice enough and a versatile food wine.
I really liked it, so much so that I drank the full bottle by myself.
Unfortunately, I’ll not buy this wine again. It’s bottled with synthetic corks. I’m Portuguese and proudly protect what is ours. A bottle of wine has to be bottled with corks. Simple as that! For me, Wine is culture, tradition and identity.
Bottom line, no pruning in the afternoon and three hours sleeping before return back to Porto with legal alcohol limit to drive… €8, 90 pts

100 point rating system

It's not our aim to rate wines and to say this is better than that one, but a tasting note without rating is like a flat wine. Thus, this is the 100 point rating system that we follow:

• 99-100 Points: A jaw-dropping, heart-stopping effort—not just everything you’d expect, but MORE than you could reasonably expect from a wine.
• 96-98 Points: Overwhelming. A rare level of greatness for wines that knock your socks off with their massiveness or make your hair stand on end with their elegance.
• 92-95 Points: Rocking wines that achieve something special within what they try to be. Occasionally wines in this range are a bit one-dimensional, but that one dimension will blow you away.
• 90-91 Points: High quality wines that make you go back to the glass looking for (and usually finding) something more. Wines that are not just enjoyable but pique one’s curiosity.
• 85-89 Points: Above average wines that perhaps lack that little something extra that makes them worthy of a 90-point score. Satisfactory. Drinkable and unobjectionable.
• 80-84 Points: Something about the wine just rubs you the wrong way, but it has some redeeming features.
• 70-79 Points: Very average wines capable of quenching thirst but little else. Straightforward and unremarkable.
• 60-69 Points: Flawed wines to avoid at all costs. Practically undrinkable.
• 50-59 Points: So poor that the 60-69 range is insufficient to describe their inadequacy. Undrinkable.