Moscatel Roxo Sagres 2009

16.0 / 20

Producer: SIVIPA

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Sagres, a well known portuguese Navy school ship, SIVIPA has decided to release a special bottling of their 2009 Moscatel Roxo.

Nice orange color, with slight red overtones, the nose is pretty intense, showing a lot of sweetness, with a lot of figs and plums thrown in there, along with a considerable ammount of honey. A bit later on, a touch of orange skin and flower joins the bouquet, its inherent acidity enhancing the nose.

Quite full bodied in the palate, showing a lot of honey like sweetness, but with a nice touch of what seemed like mint. Interesting finale, not very long but showing a surprising acidity that is not much to the front throughout the rest of the taste, and leaving a honey aftertaste that lingers for a while. There's some structure hidden behind the fullness granted by the sweeter side of this as the ending also shows a pack of pretty hard and lively tannins that stick to your gums.

Tasted on 2012-06-16

Serrana 2008

14.0 / 20

Producer: Agroturismo Serrrana do Olival

Region: Lisboa

Country: Portugal

Light golden to the eye, this white has a discreet, subdued nose where after some time, some green apples appear.

Light bodied in the palate, very soft it shows just a bit of fruit, relying more on a dry, austere approach. Brief persistence, where at first the alcohol shows a bit too strong, but later develops into something a little more interesting, with an interesting dryness. Definitely one to try much younger as this seems to be going downhill.

Tasted on 2012-06-14

Marquês de Borba Reserva 2003

16.5 / 20

Producer: João Portugal Ramos

Region: Alentejo

Country: Portugal

Top brand for João Portugal Ramos, a great winemaker from near Estremoz, this 9 year old is in a great tasting moment, as his older brothers (97 and 00) seem to be, from what I've been hearing.

Garnet with a slight brownish tinge, the bouquet starts with some tertiary notes, balsamic, some old cupboards, toast, maybe a little leather on the background. Later on, raisins and dried plums start to show up, then some jam and finally a good deal of ripe red fruit mingled with cocoa/chocolate. Very interesting and lively nose, once we let it breathe for a while.

Some sense of evolution on first impact on the mouth, it quickly opens up to a well rounded, elegant and mature wine, showing a great balance between some very noticeable red fruits, good quality oak notes and an added complexity granted by age. Good, long finish that keeps going for a while, a reminder of the great structure behind this wine.

Will probably keep being interesting for some more years, but right now is a delightful wine.

Tasted on 2012-06-13

Chateau Sainte-Marie Vieilles Vignes 2007

15.0 / 20

Producer: Chateau Sainte-Marie

Region: Entre-Deux-Mers

Country: France

I approached this wine with a bit of caution. Although I liked the 2009 vintage I had tasted a while ago, I did not feel this was a wine made for aging, so at five years old, I was concerned this had long gone downhill.

As I poured it, a deep golden color did nothing to make me more comfortable. On first impact on the nose, a glyceric feel coupled with a lot of boiled pears and apples seemed to hint at a wine past its prime. Fortunately, as time goes by, a nice lime aroma permeates wine and still later, the sauvignon blanc comes forward, with tropical fruits and a touch of vegetable notes.

In the mouth, this is a soft, delicate wine seeming somewhat tired, missing some acidity and freshness. At first, it has a strong citrus feel that, as time goes by, is replaced with some vegetable notes that accompanies the taste till the average length wine that also shows some improvement given breathing time.

Although it was not as evolved as I expected, I would recommend younger vintages if you want to really appreciate this wine, as I found this a bit lacking on acidity and freshness.

Tasted on 2012-06-11

Poeira 2007

18.0 / 20

Producer: Jorge Moreira

Region: Douro

Country: Portugal

Five years down the road, I thought it was time to start opening up some of the 2007 reds from the Douro. A great vintage by any means, 2007 brought some really powerful, intense wines that needed some time in the bottle to tame down and evolve. Although this particular wine is not known for intensity or power, relying on an amazing sense of grace and balance to deliver a really great taste.

Purple colored, still very dark, the bouquet is enticing, sophisticated and really pleasurable. Flowers and spices, cocoa and notes of chocolate and, as it opens, some really interesting ripe red berries.

Oak and spices start by dominating the palate, later losing some space to cherries. Balanced and elegant, with smooth, silky tannins that are masterfully integrated, seemingly soft but at the same time granting a great structure and complexity to the wine, this finishes long and elegant, bringing out some stronger cherry notes and showing some harder tannins that make me believe this still has a good ageing potential.

Tasted on 2012-06-10

Syrah 24 2007

16.5 / 20

Producer: Quinta do Monte de Oiro

Region: Lisboa

Country: Portugal

I really appreciate most of the work José Bento dos Santos has done over the years, both in wines (with Quinta do Monte de Oiro) and in food/gastronomy. So I was really looking forward to tasting this new top super-premium wine from Quinta do Monte de Oiro. Unfortunately, this did not meet my expectations. Maybe I was expecting too much or I failed to understand it or maybe there was just something slightly off with the bottle.

Ruby colored, the nose is very delicate and balanced, showing some spices and discreet ripe fruit, with hints of jam. A nice toast/oaky background wraps up the bouquet.

Delicate in the palate as well, averagely structured, it still has a good, fresh acidity and shows intense red fruits mixed with coffee and some chocolate. Tannins are very balanced, supporting the structure but not enhancing it. Overall, delicate and balanced with a nice, yet average length ending but it feels it's lacking something.

As one can see from the score, this is not a bad wine by any means. But if you compare it with Monte de Oiro Reserva (which sells for roughly half the price of this), I think the Reserva stands out - but that's my taste.

Tasted on 2012-06-07

Serrana 2008

14.5 / 20

Producer: Agroturismo Serrrana do Olival

Region: Lisboa

Country: Portugal

Coming from Serra de Aires, near Lisbon, this red has an open ruby color and a bouquet where acid red berries and bushes predominate, along with a rustic winery feel where one can feel some evolution.

Lightly structured, sporting tamed tannins - although lively - it shows some nice red fruit notes along with some leathery notes, consistent with the evolution sensed in the nose. Brief, honest ending that again shows signs of red fruits and some leather, this time mixed with a jammy overtone.

Tasted on 2012-06-06

Gaivosa Primeiros Anos 2009

15.0 / 20

Producer: Alves de Sousa

Region: Douro

Country: Portugal

The second bottling for this Quinta da Gaivosa wine, coming from newly planted vines, this has a nice open ruby color. The nose is somewhat confusing at start, without a clear direction, hinting at dried leaves, surprisingly a bit of leather, then some crushed red fruits. As it opens, it gets more precise, bringing out some peppery notes and violets. There's also a strong hint of curry - the spice - which at times is strong enough to overwhelm the rest of the bouquet.

Becomes a little more consensual in the palate, showing a balanced, average structured wine with some nice fruit coming up, not too ripe and not too acid. Balanced tannins give it some dryness and structure, finishing fruit-forward with an average length.

Tasted on 2012-06-03

Conde d'Ervideira Reserva 2010

16.5 / 20

Producer: Ervideira

Region: Alentejo

Country: Portugal

Light green reflections in the glass, the nose on this Alentejo white is very balanced and refined, with a strong vanilla/toast side to it along with some nice tropical fruit and a hint of spices in the back.

Structured and complex in the mouth, the vanilla/buttery side coming along as stronger than the tropical fruit one can also sense here. This structure is kept in check by a fresh acidity and a decent amount of dryness to it. Finishes long and dry.

Tasted on 2012-06-02

Álvaro Castro 2010

15.5 / 20

Producer: Álvaro de Castro

Region: Dão

Country: Portugal

An interesting white from the Dão from one of the best producers in the region, it shows a slightly green tinge and a nicely balanced bouquet where citrus notes mingle with white fruits and a strong mineral background that gives it a good deal of freshness.

Very fresh in the palate, citrus notes giving it a good deal of acidity and dryness in a delicate, soft body where the white fruit notes also appear. A good deal of mineral feel - lots of limestone - keeps it interesting up to the fresh, elegant and delicate ending.

Tasted on 2012-05-29

Vinha Val dos Alhos 2009

15.5 / 20

Producer: Casa Agrícola Horácio Simões

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

Dark ruby to te eye, the nose on this 100% Castelão from near Palmela shows some intense and sweet dark and red fruits notes, in a very classical Castelão nose.

Feeling very young in the mouth, with some hard - although manageable - tannins and a fresh feel to it, this keeps the classical, fresh Castelão fruit in the palate all the way to the medium-length finale where a marked vegetable, greenish note - think bell peppers - appears which is not very usual for Castelão, although not unpleasant by all means.

This wine tends to grow and develop a bit more complexity given time in the glass, so decant it an hour or so before drinking it. Or wait a couple of years before opening the bottle.

Tasted on 2012-05-27

Lobo Roxo 2008

16.0 / 20

Producer: Casa Agrícola Assis Lobo

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

This moscatel roxo from Setúbal comes in an unique and curious packaging, in the same vein as the other bottlings from this producer.

Orange colored, the nose is pretty intense, showing some dried flowers, cedar oil, dried figs and raisins, a touch of honey and a good amount of dried and crystalized oranges.

Feels very structured in the palate, unctuous and sweet but balanced with some more acid and fresh notes. Intense and long finish with honey notes but where the alcohol tends so play up a bit, detracting from the balance and equilibrium this could achieve.

Yet, serve it a little chilled so the slightly high alcohol is not as noticeable and this will be a really nice desert wine or a great company for an after dinner cigar.

Tasted on 2012-05-19

Maria Mora Reserva 2009

15.5 / 20

Producer: Carlos Lucas

Region: Alentejo

Country: Portugal

An intense and open bouquet on this Alentejo red, with loads of ripe, sweet red fruit, some oak notes - vanilla and dark chocolate/cocoa - and some spices on the side.

Fruit-forward in the palate as well, with lots of cherries and raspberries but feeling very well balanced in the average structure body. Good, fresh acidity and well tuned tannins, present but not overly strong, wrap up a convincing taste that ends in a medium length, fresh and slightly acid finish that leaves some good memories.

A nice Alentejo red at a nice price point.

Tasted on 2012-05-16

FP Branco 2010

16.0 / 20

Producer: Filipa Pato

Region: Bairrada

Country: Portugal

A blend of Arinto and Bical, this Bairrada white from Filipa Pato, daughter of Luís Pato - a big name in the Bairrada (and Portugal) wines, is a worthy, nicely priced white.

Light green to the eye, the bouquet shows some nice sweet white fruit in a deeply mineral, rubbery background bringing to mind some rieslings.

It shows a good structure in the palate, with a touch of barley amidst the predominant sweet peaches and apples and a hint of smoke. Very fresh and with just the right amount of dryness to balance a certain creaminess, the ending is intense and persistent, bringing out the smokier side of the wine. I just think the alcohol shows a tiny bit too much in the ending. But overall, great value on this white.

Tasted on 2012-05-15

Lobo Mau Castelão / Touriga Nacional Reserva 2008

15.5 / 20

Producer: Casa Agrícola Assis Lobo

Region: Setúbal

Country: Portugal

From a small producer in Palmela, this blend of Castelão and Touriga Nacional is an interesting and gastronomic wine. Clear garnet in color, the bouquet starts with lots of oak, vanilla notes that later open up to some nice dark plums, with the Castelão giving these some intensity and ripeness.

Quite soft and rounded in the palate, showing some nice black fruit notes and a marked, fresh acidity that makes it a very worthwhile wine to partner with food. The oak is also more hidden in the mouth than in the nose, which adds to its food friendliness. Good, fruit-forward but dry ending that has a decent persistence.

Tasted on 2012-05-14