segunda-feira, 21 de março de 2011
quarta-feira, 18 de fevereiro de 2009
Awards of Revista de vinhos 2008
I'm already waiting for next year...
sábado, 31 de janeiro de 2009
First harvest in Alentejo
Cheers
quinta-feira, 4 de setembro de 2008
segunda-feira, 26 de maio de 2008
Tasting Montes Cabernet/ Carmenére Limited selection 2003
After a very interesting experience in
I promised to post some of the wines I tasted there but to be honest it was a very busy time, specially because of the huge amount of grapes processed ( something like 8-9 million kgs….) and so time to post wasn´t that much…
Well…but now I´m back and I brought some bottles with me (declared at the airport, of course….) and so I´ll try to redime myself and post as much as I can! (I hope my liver can hold on…..)
So…to start I opened a bottle of this wine at
Made with 70% cabernet and 30% Carmenére ( a almost “dead” French grape variety that is now one of Chile´s most appreciated ones), was a excellent nose, with a lot of freshness, green peppers, spicy (a bit look-a-like Touriga Nacional I think) and in the mouth shows very round tannins, good attack , balanced, nice acidity, but being a “easy to drink” wine I think its´time to drink it showing now all his potencial.
Has a good mouthfeel with a spicy finale. A really nice wine to drink and with a very good QPR.
Drink it now. 88 points.
Tasting - Vale da Corça 2001
Tasting - Soalheiro Alvarinho 1ª Vinhas 2006
quarta-feira, 30 de abril de 2008
Tasting – Herdade dos Grous, Alentejo White 2007
sábado, 5 de abril de 2008
Tasting - Charme, Douro Red 2005
P.S. The picture is from Charme ´04... :)
sábado, 29 de março de 2008
Tasting – Finca Flichman Misterio, Shiraz, Mendoza Red 2006
I wasn’t expecting much for this bottle of Shiraz, but still I’m a bit disappointed. Quite simple nose, reductive aromas of rubber overlaying with earthy elements. Slight presence of fruit, which I’m always expecting from a new world wine. Very tight mouth feel, some lack of freshness and an unpleasant final full of bitterness. Well, not much to say about this rustic wine, just not a big “mistery” to find out… €6, 70 pts
sexta-feira, 7 de março de 2008
Busy times....
Well.... I will try to make up by posting some Chilean wines that for sure I will taste....looking forward to do it!
Cheers!
terça-feira, 4 de março de 2008
Tasting- João Portugal Ramos, Syrah, Alentejo Red 2003
Tasting- ASF, Palmela D.O.C. Red 2005
segunda-feira, 18 de fevereiro de 2008
Tasting- Quinta da Alorna Chardonnay Reserva 2004, Ribatejo White
terça-feira, 12 de fevereiro de 2008
Tasting - Esporão, Reserva Branco 2006
segunda-feira, 11 de fevereiro de 2008
Tasting- Pesquera Reserve 2003, Ribera Del Duero red wine
quarta-feira, 6 de fevereiro de 2008
Tasting – Quinta do Côa, Douro White 2006
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
sábado, 2 de fevereiro de 2008
100 point rating system
- 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.
quarta-feira, 30 de janeiro de 2008
Tasting - Muxagat, Douro Branco 2004
Once again, a typical Portuguese dish...Codfish. :)
For me, Codfish can be appreciated both with red and white wine, so this time we decided to taste a white wine called Muxagat 2004.
This wine, Douro Superior, made with rabigato, codêga and viosinho, 13% vol, with a nice yellow-straw, golden colour, excelent nose, very aromatic with lemon, honey, also some smoked notes and with a elegant cask background also. Once on the mouth, very fresh, balanced, nice acidity and again elegant and well integrated wood, showing a nice barrel work.
With a persistent and equilibrated finale, makes a very nice set!
Drink now or wait a while. 84 pts.
segunda-feira, 21 de janeiro de 2008
Tasting - Quinta da Castaínça, Grande Escolha Douro Red 2003
domingo, 20 de janeiro de 2008
Tasting – Meandro, Douro Red 2005
Dark and concentrated colour. Very lovely nose, floral, rosemary, black berries, resin with some hints of smoke and tobacco. Shows all of its youth on the palate, full bodied, powerful flavours of cassis, mint and ripe fruit. The tannins still aggressive, but the good acidity with a pleasing structure backup, gives it a promising future. Medium/Long finish with layers of dark chocolate and spice. Superb QPR! I’ll buy some more of these for sure. €10, 90 pts
quinta-feira, 10 de janeiro de 2008
Tasting – Domaine des Epinaudières, Coteaux du Layon 2002
Tasting – Churchill’s, Douro Red 2000
This wine said hello to me showing a clean colour with some brown shades, a little bit oxidated and not very deep but slowly sliding down through the side of the glass...
On the nose, mineral notes, also some oak and well rippen fruit making a elegant and complex aroma even if not too expressive. On the mouth I could find a surprising freshness, probably due to the good acidity and firm tanins, but well matured with a good atack and finishing with some bitterness without being unpleasant. A nice wine to drink, but not one of those to save for a special ocasion. Drink it now. 75 pts
quarta-feira, 9 de janeiro de 2008
Tasting - Alvarinho Deu la Deu 2006
segunda-feira, 7 de janeiro de 2008
Tasting - Redoma, Reserva Douro White 2005
quarta-feira, 2 de janeiro de 2008
Tasting – Chateau du Coy, Sauternes 2002
Reveillon 2007/2008
They were the beginning of a tremendous party.... but well... Ballantine's 12Y and JB 15Y don't allow me to publish anything more about the night.... the thing that I know is that I really enjoyed it :)
Have a good 2008.... to the Quinta do Rio reveillon... 100 Points :)
Quinta da Alorna Colheita Tardia 2001
Made with Fernao Pires white grapes, a portuguese typical variety and aged for 12 months in french oak barrels. It showed nice gold colour. The aroma was quite simple and sweet, with lack of fruit and excess of wood. In the mouth I felt it a bit plane with lack of freshness and acidity... it looks much more a usual sweet wine than a late harvest. Maybe the right time has already gone...
Portuguese late harvest aren't still very usual and this example shows that we have a long way to make if we want to do them as the best do.... 67 pts
segunda-feira, 31 de dezembro de 2007
Tasting - Scala Coeli. Alentejo Red 2005
Made with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, aged 19 months in new french oak barrels.
With a dark colour, the wine shows a mix of red fruits and floral aromas (this last one, very tipical from Cabernet).
In the mouth, starts with a very strong beginning, showing a good balance between fruit and oak. At the end, some green notes with not a very long finish.
Probably this wine deserves a new taste in next 2 years. €30, 86 pts
domingo, 30 de dezembro de 2007
Tasting - René Barbier Cabernet Sauvignon Cosecha 1996
With almost 12 years of age, this Spanish Cabernet Sauvignon produced by René Barbier, presented a almost brown colour, oxidated and clean.
On the beginning it was closed on the nose but after a few minutes it lost all the shyness and showed the fruit, very matured with also some spicy notes.
Once on the mouth, it was balanced and round showing elegancy and also fine tanins but maybe lacking a longer end.
Even so, a very nice wine, elegant and smooth, making a nice final set. 83 pts