| 16.5 / 20 |
Region: Douro
Country: Portugal
The people at Caves Transmontanas keep going strong with their Vertice brand - the Brut sparkling they have has been rightfully declared as one of the best sparklings from Portugal.
This is the 05 vintage for their red wine and I'm as impressed by this one as with previous vintages. Purple colored, the aromas are very floral with some balsamic overtones, mint and some chocolate towards the end. Overall, a fine, elegant and somewhat complex bouquet.
To the taste, it show a good acidity, with tannins still strong. Elegant and textured, it has a really long finish, bringing up chocolate and smokier notes and a vegetable feel in the background.
The taste is a little too marked by the alcohol, a complaint I already had in the previous vintage and that, to my view, prevents the wine from achieving more. 2005 was a really hot year in Portugal and that can help explain the alcoholic feeling here. There's a 07 in the cellar waiting to be opened and I have great expectations for that as that was a nearly perfect year in the Douro. Will definitely let you know.
But overall, a great wine and a really good value (around 17€).
Paired beautifully with a wild boar ragout, the complexity of the dish flavors matching the wine's body step by step.
Tasted on 2011-01-06
No comments:
Post a Comment