Gnarly Head Chardonnay 2009

16 / 20

Producer: Gnarly Head

Region:California

Country: USA

A californian Chardonnay showing a subtle, discreet bouquet where boiled apples and pears mingle with some honeyed notes and a subtle touch of oak.

Shows its weight on the palate, feeling unctuous but this is very well supported by a nice acidity and a orange-skin bitterness that is refreshing. It's a pleasant, not very complex white, very balanced (the 14% alcohol are not noticeable) that ends very pleasantly.

Casa Burmester Touriga Nacional 2009

16.5 / 20

Producer: Burmester

Region:Douro

Country:Portugal

A really good example of what Touriga Nacional can offer, the bouquet here is very intense, filled with flowery, violet notes along with a strong presence of sweet raspberries. Overall, the nose exposes a very young, powerful wine.

The same impression is conveyed by the palate. Structured and mouth-fiIIing, the flavors gravitate between the same flowery impressions as in the nose joined by a more caramel, sweeter side. A very good acidity helps to keep the taste from becoming too intense. Strong powerful finish that makes the wine linger for a long time in the mouth.

I'd wait a couple more years for this one. It still needs to tame down a bit and I'm curious as to how it will evolve.

António Saramago Reserva 2009

16.5 / 20

Producer: António Saramago

Region:Setúbal

Country:Portugal

Very nice and balanced nose, with the usual jammy black fruit note associated with Castelão in Setúbal, that are seasoned here with light balsamic tones, a hint of spices and an oaky background.

Very elegant and alive in the palate, with lively tannins, fresh acidity and some really nice jammy fruit notes. It's a wine with the right intensity, just enough to show off its flavors, but never overpowering - really gastronomical.

The site says the wine is a blend of Castelão, Touruga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet, but I'd totally believe if I was told this is a 100% Castelão. The jammy blackberries that appear on both nose and mouth are a great expression of the Setúbal Castelão.

Tapada de Coelheiros Chardonnay 2009

16.5 / 20

Producer: Herdade de Coelheiros

Region: Alentejo

Country: Portugal

I tasted the previous vintage of this wine a couple of years ago and I remember not being particularly impressed. I felt it was a nice wine, but not remarkable - although I can see from the taste note that this wasn't a typical heavy, oaky and buttery chardonnay.

This vintage seems to be a notch up - the wine style brings to mind the drier Chardonnays from Bourgogne, not Chablis but almost there. Green apples in the nose, some dried almonds and a slight vegetable background, which are later complemented by a mineral, chalky scent.

Very interesting in the palate, with a fresh, crispy acidity and a remarkable dryness, leaving a mineral, chalky feel in the mouth. This is a very elegant wine, with the fruit notes (mainly green apples) mixing with some citrus and the mentioned mineral notes to make a very composed wine that has a lot of structure without relying in the usual oak, buttery excesses.

As it breathes and is exposed to air, this starts to gain some of the heavier Chardonnay notes, boiled apples and pears coming to the front, along with some heavier oak notes - so it loses some of that mineral, chalkier feel and starts feeling like a more new world Chardonnay.

Adega de Pegões Colheita Seleccionada 2009

16 / 20

Producer: Adega de Pegões

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

Lots of oaky and caramel notes in the nicely tuned, inviting bouquet that also shows some jammy black fruits.

Feels very young in the palate, showing a lot of oak notes, the fruit notes still feeling somewhat "green" and needing some bottle time to mature. The tannins are also very present, although they do not hide any of the opulent, jammy fruit that's here. Good, average length finale.

For my taste, I'd wait another year or two before starting to drink it.

Marquesa de Alorna 2009

16.5 / 20

Producer: Quinta da Alorna

Region: Tejo

Country: Portugal

Deeply golden in color, making me question if this had oxidized prematurely. Hapilly, the bouquet told me otherwise - although it showed an heavier white, with lots of buttery, vanilla notes, the white fruits (peaches) and boiled apples were also very present and showing very well. Maybe some flowers in the background.

Very structured and heavy in the palate at first, it changes halfway and reveals a drier approach, relying more on citrus than on vanilla and sweet white fruits. It shows a good balance between fruit and oak, being a very well tuned wintery white that finishes long and comforting as expected.

Framingham Classic Riesling 2009

16.5 / 20

Producer: Framingham

Region: Marlborough

Country: New Zealand

Really fragrant bouquet on this New Zealand Riesling, with lots of sweet white fruit and a really nice mineral, wet-stone backbone.

As is the case with the whites from this winery I've tasted so far, it feels very tuned and precise in the palate. A good deal of acidity goes very well with a more austere, mineral side that is, in turn, put in check by some sweeter, white fruit flavors.

Good length, feeling very balanced down to the end of the taste.

Casas Brancas Reserva 2009

15.5 / 20

Producer: Parras

Region:Alentejo

Country:Portugal

Intense and jammy in the nose, with lots of ripe fruits playing around in the glass, backed by soft oak notes and a more vegetable (probably the Trincadeira coming along), flowery side.

Feels very soft in the palate, showing some vegetable notes amidst the focused ripe fruits. A nice acidity matched by velvety, rounded tannins.

Good balanced ending, not long but showing lots of fruits. A wine made to be enjoyed with food.

Grand'Arte Alicante Bouschet 2009

16 / 20

Producer: DFJ Vinhos

Region: Lisboa

Country: Portugal

The intensity and depth of the color is matched by the power of the bouquet on this Alicante Bouschet from near Lisbon. Sweet, ripe blackberries dominate the nose, backgrounded by an oaky, smoky side.

Intense and concentrated also in the palate, fruit forward but balanced by some nice oak notes - dark chocolate pops up often. A good, fresh acidity keeps the wine interesting, offsetting the sweet fruit and a good, average structure is guaranteed by velvety, tamed tannins. Nice, dry finish wraps this up.

Trimbach Riesling 2009

16.5 / 20

Producer: Maison Trimbach

Region:Alsace

Country:France

Very lightly coloured, showing a nice straw like hue, this has an expressive, clean nose showing all the usual Riesling notes: A strong mineral, rubbery feeling very well balanced with some sweet tropical fruit underneath.

Although the first impact in the palate is of a sweeter, fruit-forward wine, this very quickly changes halfway and the wine reveals a drier, more acid side that gives it a really focused, edgy taste. Very mineral, austere and showing notes of lemon, the sweeter side only appears from time to time, seasoning its austerity and dryness.

Really good and promises to grow in the bottle.

Filoco 2009

16 / 20

Producer: Quinta do Filoco

Region: Douro

Country: Portugal

A true Douro in the nose, with buckroses, resin and wild flowers backed by intense wild fruits and a oaky feel underneath it all.

Feels very young, almost wild in the palate, showing a fresh acidity and a decent amount of dry tannins. It is not a full-bodied wine, although it has some structure in it, but has a nice length, finishing with wild red berries and strong notes of dark chocolate and cocoa.

Overall, a very young wine that will need some time in the bottle to settle down and grow.

Blog 2009

17.5 / 20

Producer: Tiago Cabaço

Region: Alentejo

Country: Portugal

This is the top wine for a young winemaker from Estremoz, Alentejo - and Susana Estéban, of Crasto and Solar dos Lobos fame. I tasted the 07 (or 08) vintage a couple of years ago and was not very impressed, feeling its quality did not match up to its price - something which was inverted in the othe brands, .com and .beb that had a really good quality/price ratio.

Since this 09 gained a lot of attention, being declared the best 2009 Alentejo wine in some places, I decided to try it again. And I'm glad I did!

Deep purple in the glass, it's very intense in the nose. Not a classical Alentejo, but somehow managing to take that classical side and turn it into something modern and vibrant all along. The Alicante Bouschet is front stage at first with olives showing up, a hint of spices and some meaty black fruit. As it breathes, the Syrah joins in, again showing some vibrant black fruit in a sweeter perspective, almost jammy. But always feeling very balanced and poised.

Feels very elegant in the mouth, although it definitely is a very sructured, full bodied wine. The raspberries come more to the foreground in the palate than in the nose, very well backed up by a fresh acidity and a layer of velvety tannins handing out even more structure to the wine. Finish is long and intense.

Paired marveously with a lamb coated with honey and rosemary, a regional recipe from a top restaurant in Estremoz.

Cigalus 2009

17.0 / 20

Producer: Gérard Bertrand

Region: Pays d'Oc

Country: France

Really dark and concentrated in the glass, this shows some ripe dark fruits in the nose, delicate at first, but quickly growing and expanding, showing a spicier side and, as it breathes, a note of grass and mint that really composes the set.

Intense and full bodied in the palate, showing a vibrant acidity and marked by a good deal of concentrated black fruits. Velvety tannins help give it even more structure and layers, while the vanilla and oaky notes give it a very deep and composed feel. The subtle spices and vegetable notes present throughout the taste give it an added edge and grace, resulting in a really interesting wine that will age for some more years.

Tasted on 2012-10-11

Marquês dos Vales Grace Vineyard 2009

15.5 / 20

Producer: Quinta dos Vales

Region: Algarve

Country: Portugal

Coming from the Algarve, made with Siria, Malvasia Fina and Arinto, it shows a nice deep yellow color, almost golden.

Intense and open in the nose, with flowery notes and sweet white fruit - lots of apricots and peaches. There's also a sense of minerality here, nicely balancing the sweetness of the fruit.

Surprisingly, it feels very dry in the mouth, with lots of lemon and lime notes, with the corresponding fresh acidity. This dryness nicely cuts through the sweetness of the white fruits, also present in the body. Dry and filled with citrus notes, the ending is medium long, effectively cleaning the palate.

Really good by itself, it lost a bit of focus when matched with a light salmon dish, so I would recommend this by itself.

Tasted on 2012-09-17

CARMIM Alicante Bouschet 2009

15.5 / 20

Producer: CARMIM

Region: Alentejo

Country: Portugal

Dark ruby, showing meaty and ripe, almost jammy red fruit along with a hint of olives in the well balanced bouquet, supported by nice oaky notes.

In the palate, the vegetable/olive notes come up again, mingled with just the right amount of fruit and a touch of oak. Round, balanced and ready to drink, it has a medium length and finishes with notes of mulberries and jam.

Tasted on 2012-09-13

Schloss Lieser Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2009

15.5 / 20

Producer: Thomas Haag

Region: Mosel

Country: Germany

Showing a pale yellow color and some bubbles - that are not at all perceptible on the palate later on -

this Riesling from the Mosel has a bouquet clearly dominated by mineral notes, sometimes recalling sulphur - not to the point of being unpleasant, but the rotten eggs impression is definitely there - other times going into the more familiar rubbery territory. On the background, some slight tropical, sweet notes also appear.

Soft and light in the palate, with a slight sweetness compensated by a crisp, fresh acidity, the body is also very marked by a strong, pleasant minerality with some tropical fruits resulting in a palate cleansing, pleasurable wine. Good, strong and pleasant finish.

Tasted on 2012-08-19

Reserva ACR 2009

15.5 / 20

Producer: Adega Cooperativa do Redondo

Region: Alentejo

Country: Portugal

Not very expressive on the nose, this reserve from Adega Cooperativa do Redondo shows some red wild fruits along with some oak and spices notes.

In the palate, it feels fulll bodied, showing a tannic structure, fresh acidity and some marked oak notes. Tasting it by itself, it comes along as a really young wine, needing some bottle time to mellow and mature. It feels more balanced when matched with food, with some nice wild red fruits bubbling up to the foreground while the tannins and the acidity are kept in check by the food - assuming you taste this with an heavy, meat based dish.

Nice persistence that gives up some more fruit notes. Overall, this felt like it needed at least a couple of years in the bottle before being properly appreciated.

Tasted on 2012-08-16

Cottas Reserva 2009

16.5 / 20

Producer: Quinta de Cottas

Region: Douro

Country: Portugal

A blend of typical white Douro grapes, this is a great example of a really good Douro wine, balancing freshness and zest with structure and oak. Light green to the eye, the nose has some smoke, an oaky, almond-like feel and some citrus note. Also present is a mineral, sharp feel that enhances the bouquet.

Feels very dry and fresh on the palate, while at the same time relaying some sense of structure and weight. Elegant and balanced, the almond/oak is very well integrated with the citrus notes, present but not overlapping the acidity and dryness. Really strong ending, with more citrus notes popping up, it comes along as a sharp, expertly made white that will probably age very well.

Tasted on 2012-08-09

Venâncio da Costa Lima Reserva 2009

16.0 / 20

Producer: Venâncio da Costa Lima

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

Yet another good example of a 100% Castelão from Setúbal, This reserve from one of the oldest companies in the region presents itself in a nice, dark ruby color and a very typical Castelão nose, mainly dark fruits, meaty and sweet, sometimes going into jam territory but never going overboard. To the background, a touch of oak and vanilla composes the bouquet.

Fruit forward in the palate, in the usual Castelão way with lots of dark plums, this is an average bodied wine with well balanced acidity and some nice, dry and still powerful tannins.

Good, pleasant presence in a really typical example of the Castelão from this area. Finishes decently long bringing out an oaky, cocoa aftertaste.

Tasted on 2012-08-06

JP Private Selection 2009

14.5 / 20

Producer: Bacalhôa

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

A 100% Castelão from Setúbal, this red from Bacalhôa has a not very expressive bouquet where notes of red fruits are a bit overshadowed by a strong smoky overtone at first, becoming somewhat more balanced afterwards. There's also a hint of vegetable notes - green bell peppers - that are unusual in Castelão.

It feels a bit rustic on the first impact on the palate, with the jammy red fruit coming forward, but sharing the front stage with some rustic cellar notes.

Lightly structured, tannins are still on the hard side which, together with the high acidity, might make the wine a little less inviting. Still, there's some nice red fruit in here, that make the average-length finale hold up.

Tasted on 2012-07-06