Wines of Portugal
Leeds
2^nd October 2006

This was a tasting organised by ViniPortugal and Icep Portugal.  ViniPortugal is a private association of wine producers, farmers and government representatives that works to promote Portuguese wine.  Wines of Portugal/Icep Portugal is a government agency whose main objective is to promote Portugal for tourism and as a producer of high quality products and services.

This tasting in Leeds was the northern adjunct to the larger London tasting, on which I reported here.

Portugal, although only a small country, ranks sixth in the world as a wine-producing country and has a long heritage of winemaking: indeed the Douro was the world’s first demarcated wine region, its boundaries being defined in 1756.  There are now eight major designated wine-producing regions in Portugal (plus Madeira and the Azores), from the Algarve in the south to Minho and Trás-os-Montes in the north, and within those regions there are a total of 27 Denominações de Origem (denominations of origin, or DOC for short).  For such a relatively small country there is great variation in the wines produced in (and within) each region thanks to a variety of micro climates and soil types.  This is particularly true where the winemakers stick to more traditional methods and the traditional, indigenous Portuguese grape varieties: Portugal has one of the widest ranges of indigenous varieties, with more than 200 different varietals. 

Among the more widely used varieties are:

• Alvarinho – this is a white grape, used mainly in the Minho region for Vinho Verde, but now also planted in more southerly regions.  It is a thick skinned variety that produces dry, crisp aromatic wines with some body, and often some minerality.
• Arinto – another white variety widely grown in central and northern Portugal (it also goes under the name Pedernã in the Minho), best known for the whites from the DOC Bucelas in Estremadura.  It produces dry yet lively wines with good acidity and some riesling like citrus, apples and mineral aromas.
• Fernão Pires (also known as Maria Gomes in Bairrada) I feel can be characterised as Portugal’s muscat, in that it produces light, fragrant floral wines, although it has more appley-citrus character than the grapiness of muscat.  It is widely grown and valued for its versatility: it is used for sparkling wines in Bairrada and crisp, aromatic whites elsewhere (though predominantly Ribatejo and Setubal).
• Aragonez (or aragonês), and also known as Tinta Roriz in the north, where its one of main varieties in the Douro for port wines.  It is the same grape as the Spanish tempranillo.  In the right hands it can be a real star, producing big, fruity red wines often with plummy blackberry and raspberry fruit.
• Castelão – this is a red grape, dominant in southern Portugal, especially the Setubal peninsula.  While young, wines made from castelão show raspberry and redcurrant fruit, but go on to mature into smooth, warm, full-bodied wines, often developing a tarry character.
• Touriga Nacional – one of the big boys of Portuguese varieties and an important part of port.  Touriga Nacional produces small grapes rich in tannin, colour and sweetness.  The resulting wines usually have the deep colour, firm tannic structure and sweet fruit that you might expect, but often combined with aromas of violets and occasionally eucalyptus on the nose.
• Trincadeira – another important player, this is one of the most widely planted red varieties in Portugal.  It is a key grape in the Alentejo, where it produces rich and powerful red wines with some similarities to cabernet sauvignon, particularly in the blackcurrant fruit often evident on the nose.  It is not limited to the Alentejo, and is known as Tinta Amarela in the Douro.

Portuguese Wine Regions

Starting in the north west, we have Portugal’s larges demarcated region, the Minho, extending from Vale da Cambra south of the river Douro to the river Minho, that forms Portugal’s northern border with Spain.  Minho is home to the DOC Vinho Verde, now a much overlooked wine, but with lots of potential.  (See also my article on Vinho Verde here.)  There are six sub-regions, and the style of Vinho Verde may vary between them: around Monção, alvarinho can dominate, producing nicely dry wines, with a fuller body and higher alcohol levels (up to 13%), whereas in central Minho, around the towns of Braga, Barcelos and Guimarães, the loureiro grape can play a greater part, along with loureiro, trajadura and Pedernã, producing more typical Vinhos Verdes (with alcohol levels around 8%-10%); the loureiro in particular gives more perfume and finesse to the wines.  Around the town of Baião, avesso is an important variety, producing a slightly fuller style of wine.  Red wines are also produced, still under the Vinho Verde DOC, from grapes such as vinhão.  Vinho Verde, of course, has nothing to do with green wines, taking its name rather from the Costa Verde, which aptly describes the lush verdant countryside.

Directly to the east of Minho is Trás-os-Montes, home to Portugal’s most famous DOCs of Porto and Douro, with the River Douro forming the southern edge of the region, whose name translates as ‘beyond the mountains.’  The Douro region was originally demarcated in 1756 and while there have been some changes to the boundaries since then, the region is closely defined by an outcrop of pre-Cambrian schist running for almost 100km either side of the river, bounded by granite.  Port production naturally dominates, but the Douro is rapidly becoming the home to some excellent table wines, made from the same grapes as port, with which they share many characteristics.  Up to ninety different varieties are permitted, including touriga franca, touriga nacional and tinta roriz for reds, and rabigato, gouveio and viosinho for whites.  Of course, table wine production is nothing new in the Douro: until the 18^th Century, most of the wines were fermented dry and not fortified.  The Douro is characterised by its poor, rocky soils and very hot summers.  To the north of the Douro Valley, a number of table wines are produced, and in addition to the Douro and Porto DOCs, the region is also the home of the less well known DOCs of Chaves, Valpaços and Planalto Mirandês.

To the south of both Minho and Trás-os-Montes lies the region of Beiras, stretching the full width of Portugal.  Beiras is home to the more well-known DOCs of Bairrada and Dão, along with the less well-known DOCs of Távora-Varosa in the north, butting up to the Douro region, Lafões in the north west, meeting the southernmost part of the Minho region, and the large DOC Beira Interior in the north east and the south east of Beiras.  Bairrada lies to the west of the region, though it doesn’t reach the coast, while Dão occupies the central part of the region.
Bairrada is an area of agricultural smallholdings, growing cereals and beans as well as vines on heavy, fertile clay soils.  Winemaking in the region is dominated by cooperatives, though an increasing number of small independent producers also operate.  Bairrada is unusual in that one grape dominates, almost to the exclusion of other varieties: over 80% of Bairrada’s production is red wine, mostly made from the Baga grape, which is native to the region.  Baga needs careful handling, as it can be quite aggressive.  White grapes are mostly maria gomes (known as Fernão Pires elsewhere in Portugal) and Bical, largely grown to produce sparkling wines.

The Dão DOC is at the centre of the Beiras region, sheltered from the Atlantic and bounded by high granite mountains on three sides.  It has a more continental climate with long hot summers, cool nights, though with lots of rainfall in the winter.  The soils are largely sandy on granite and slate.  Over two-thirds of Dão wines are red, and nine varieties are authorised: jaen, tinta pinheira, alfrocheiro preto, tinta roriz (i.e. tempranillo), bastardo and touriga nacional – the last must account for at least 20% of a wine.  Encruzado, perhaps blended with assario branco and bical, makes fresh fragrant whites for early drinking.

Estremadura is a relatively thin strip (c. 60 miles long by 40 miles wide) of hilly land between the river Tagus and the Atlantic, northwest of Lisbon.  Estremadura is home to no less than nine DOCs: Encostas de Aire in the north, around the town of Leiria; Óbidos, Alenquer, Arruda and Bucelas inland in the south east of the region; Torres Vedras and Lourinhã in the centre of the region on the coast; and in the south of the region are the DOCs of Carcavelos and Colares, on the coasts to the west of Lisbon.  International varieties such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay do well in the region, alongside native varieties, largely represented by castelão francês, tinta miuda and trincadeira for reds, while whites are produced from arinto, vital and fernão pires.  The climate in Bucelas, due north of Lisbon, particularly favours the arinto, producing some notable white wines. 

To the east of Estremadura, lies Ribatejo.  This is a highly fertile region in the wide, flat valley of the river Tagus.  Long known as a region of bulk wines (yields are high on the well irrigated vines planted on the flood plain), a number of young winemakers are now making more interesting wines, though large estates (where vineyards only make up a smallish proportion of the land, alongside market gardening for the urban population around the Tagus estuary) still dominate the Ribatejo countryside, in contrast to the more northerly regions, where small estates dominate the picture.  International varieties sit alongside Portuguese varieties (fernão pires, arinto and talia are favoured for whites, while the main native red varieties are castelão francês, alfrocheiro and trincadeira.

To the east and south east of Ribatejo lies the vast region of Alentejo, which accounts for around a third of mainland Portugal.  Flat plains are dotted with cork oaks and olive trees, with low hills (montes) providing vantage points for large estates or small villages.  This is a sparsely populated region, characterised by huge cereal farms, though in some places these are giving way to large vineyards, though the intense summer heat means they require irrigation.  Alentejo has seen much of the modernisation of Portugal’s wine industry and it is the home of much of the more international Portuguese wines.  It is best known for its red wines, principally from aragonez, trincadeira, alicante bouschet, moreto and castelão francês.  White wines are not particularly traditional to the region, but with the help of temperature controlled fermentation, some growers, particularly in Vidigueira are realising the potential of white grapes such as antão vaz, roupeiro and perrum.

To the west of Alentejo, lies the region of Terras do Sado, with its two DOCs Palmela and Setúbal.  Fishing used to be the main industry, but now tourism and wine have taken over.  Terras do Sado is known for its muscat and castelão (also known here as periquita) grapes.  Castelão is used for red, rosé and sparkling wines, and espadeiro and monvedro are also grown, though the onward march of international varieties such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot is making itself felt.  The more traditional castelão reds can be dominated by tannins, but more modern production methods are bringing out more of the soft red fruit character in wines, which can be early maturing, yet also age relatively gracefully.  Moscatel de Setúbal is a fortified muscat, aged in oak and capable of considerable ageing.  As well as muscat, the main white varieties are are arinto and esgana cão.

Finally, on the south coast, and well known to British tourists and ex-pats alike is the Algarve.  Tourism is still the main business, but growers and winemakers are beginning to explore the region’s potential for wine production.  The reds are generally soft and fruity.  Probably the most high profile producer is currently Cliff Richard’s Adega do Cantor, producing the pretty terrible Vida Nova.

Adega Cooperativa de Borba
www.adegaborba.pt

• 2005 Convento da Vila, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  This is a blend of trincadeira, aragonês and alicante bouschet.  It has good, vibrant red fruits on the nose.  On the palate, it’s clean, fresh and vibrant, but with good character.  Very Good.  88/100
• 2005 Adegaborba.pt rosé, DOC Alentejo
  This is a rosé made from aragonês (more widely known outside the Alentejo as tempranillo).  The colour is a deepish reddy pink.  It has an interesting red fruit nose.  Light and fresh on the palate with nice character.  Very clean.  Very Good.  88/100
• 2004 Adegaborba.pt tinto, DOC Alentejo
  This is the red version of their wine named after their website, made from aragonês and cabernet sauvignon.  It has sweet black fruit on the nose with a hint of cassis.  There’s clean, sweet fruit on the palate and a fair freshness, but overall it strikes me as very dull.  Good.  82/100
• 2004 Touriga Nacional, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  This 100% touriga nacional spent three months in French oak.  It has a powerful leathery nose with deep black fruit.  Rich and full on the palate with nice concentration.  Very long indeed.  Very Good Indeed.  89/100
• 2004 Trincadeira & Alicante Bouschet, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  Again, this spends three months in French oak.  An elegant, perfumed red fruit nose is followed up by a very blackberry-dominated palate.  Rich, juicy, fairly ripe fruit.  Mouthfilling and impressive.  Very Good Indeed.  91/100
• 2002 Montes Claros Reserva, DOC Alentejo
  This blend of trincadeira, aragonês and alicante bouschet has an elegant, perfumed red fruit nose.  This is a fairly simple wine trying to be serious by adding oak and not entirely pulling it off.  It’s competent, pleasant, but very dull.  Good.  83/100
• 2001 Reserva, Adega Coop. Borba, DOC Alentejo
  This has a weird confected nose: spirity and plasticky, and very unappealing.  Odd on the palate too.  Spirity (without the fire) and high tones.  Very strange and not entirely pleasant.  The representative on the stand poured herself a glass along with me and tasted it too, without any indication that there was anything unusual about this.  Poor.  72/100

Bacalhôa Vinhos de Portugal
www.bacalhoa.com

The company was founded in 1922, under the name João Pires & Filhos.  The main winery is in Azeitão at the centre of the Setúbal peninsula and produces the Quinta da Bacalhôa, Má Partilha, Catarina and Cova da Ursa brands.  The Herdade das Anforas winery in Arraiolos makes the company’s Alentejano wines: Tinto da Anfora, Tinto da Anfora Grand Escolha, Herdade de Santa Marta, Monte das Anforas and Santa Fé de Arraiolos.  Sparkling wines are also produced at the Quinta dos Loridos.  In total, they have some 500 hectares of vineyards and an annual production capacity of twelve million litres, along with the facility to age up to 6000 barrels.

• 2005 Catarina, Vinho Regional Terras do Sado, 13.6%
  This is a blend of 68% fernão pires grown in the sandy soils of the Setúbal peninsula and 32% chardonnay grown on the calcareous limestone soils on the slopes of the Arrábida mountains.  The fernão pires is fermented in stainless steel; the chardonnay in new French oak barrels.
  It has a lovely fragrant, floral nose and is equally lovely on the palate.  This is actually quite impressive, with a nice floral character balanced by a bit of weight.  Lovely finish, with an interesting acidity.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 2004 Tinto da Anfora, Vinho Regional Alentejano, 14%
  This is a blend of aragonez, trincadeira, alfrocheiro, tourigal nacional and cabernet sauvignon, sourced from three vineyard areas in Alentejo: Arronches, Borba and Arraiolos.  The wine was aged for 14 months in a mixture of French and American oak.
  This has lots of raspberry juice on the nose, along with some leather.  There’s good character on the palate: nice clean fruit, but with a good, fruity big structure.  Big tannins appear towards the finish, but then fade away rapidly, leaving a nice fruity, very long finish.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 2003 Tinto da Anfora Grande Escolha, Vinho Regional Alentejano, 14.5%
  The Grande Escolha is only produced occasionally (the only two previous vintages were the 1999 and 2001, compared to the regular Tinto da Anfora, which was produced 1978 – 2004, except in 1979, 1993 and 2000).  The 2003 Grande Escolha is a blend of 41% aragonez, 33% alicante bouschet and 26% touriga nacional.  It was aged for 18 months in 90% new French oak and 10% new American oak.
  There are big, ripe, perfumed black fruits on the very concentrated nose.  Very good on the palate.  Ripe and juicy, but not too much either way.  Very impressive stuff.  Very Good Indeed+.  92/100
• 2003 Só Touriga Nacional, Vinho Regional Terras do Sado, 14%
  This is made from 100% touriga nacional grown on their Casais da Serra vineyard, located at the foot of the Arrábida mountains.  The wine was matured in new barriques (50% Allier from France, and 50% American).
  The nose is remarkably perfumed and minerally and fruity.  The wine has a nice gentle soft attack, but is then overtaken by the tannic structure.  It feels a bit overdone on the oak.  Good/Very Good.  86/100
• 2003 Quinta da Bacalhôa, Vinho Regional Terras do Sado, 13.5%
  The “Quinta” is located on the middle reaches of northwest facing slopes at Azeitão, with the vines planted on well drained red limestone soils.  The wine is a blend of 90% cabernet sauvignon and 10% merlot and has a very traditional, almost Bordeaux style label.  It is aged for 11 months in small new French Allier oak barrels.
  It has a nice clean, ripe blackcurrant nose.  Good soft attack, but it then fills enormously.  Very big and almost brutish.  Decent, open fruit character.  Very Good.  88/100
• 2003 Palácio de Bacalhôa, Vinho Regional Terras do Sado, 14%
  This is a blend of 70% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot and 9% petit verdot.  The three varieties are fermented separately at a controlled 25ºC, followed by a three week period of “cuvaison,” before ageing for 11 months in small new French Allier oak barrels.
  There are elegant perfumed red fruits on the nose, along with a bit of a roasted note and some cedar.  A nice attractive palate.  Fresh and open; easy, with a lovely balance.  Jolly good stuff, but I wonder how Portuguese it is.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 2002 JP Private Selection, DOC Palmela, 14%
  This is 100% castelão grown on well drained sandy soils in the Palmela region, which lies between Setúbal and Ribatejo.  Grapes are harvested in late September and, after vinification, is aged for a year in oak.
  It has light red fruits with some woody spices on the nose.  Ripe and full on the palate.  There’s good juicy fruit followed up by a nice structure.  Nice balance and elegance.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• NV JP Moscatel de Setúbal, DOC Setúbal, 17.5%
  The JP Moscatel de Setúbal is Bacalhôa’s entry level Moscatel.  The grapes are harvested when fully ripe and undergo a brief fermentation before fortification with grape brandy.  The resulting wine then macerates on its skins for 5 to 6 months until the end of the winter.  It is then aged for three years in small used oak barrels.
  It has an orangey pale teak colour and a rich raisiny muscat nose.  The palate is gently sweet.  It’s a touch high toned, which actually gives it some elegance and character.

Manuel dos Santos Campolargo
casademogofores.com?

• 2005 Campolargo Arinto, DOC Bairrada
  This 100% arinto has an open, slightly scented buttery nose.  Very attractive on the palate.  Clean and fresh, but with a nice weight and richness.  Very attractive.  Very Good.  88/100
• 2005 Termeão Pássaro Branco, DOC Bairrada
  This isn’t a white wine – it’s a red blend of touriga nacional and castelão.  Pássaro is a sort of bird, and on the label the bird is white (they have another wine where the label has a red bird).  This has a lovely round, open nose with very deep, ripe black fruits.  There are interesting flavours in the mouth, and this is really a bit different with plenty of interest.  But it’s really suffering from being very young indeed.  Very Good.  87/100
• 2004 Vinha da Costa, DOC Bairrada
  This is a blend of mainly tinta roriz, with some merlot and syrah.  Very elegant, fairly concentrated berry fruit on the nose.  It has an interesting palate.  Quite lively: rich and spicy with big fruits and a good tannic structure.  Very Good.  88/100
• 2004 Calda Bordaleza, DOC Bairrada
  The name of this wine is a bit of a pun as calda Bordaleza is the Portuguese name for the mixture of copper sulphate, lime and water used to spray vines to protect against mildew and known in English as ‘Bordeaux mixture’; the wine is also a pretty classic Bordeaux blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot.
  This has a lovely elegant nose with concentrated, forward fruit.  This is very integrated and attractive, but really rather like a claret on steroids.  Full and ripe, this is accomplished, but not entirely for me.  Very Good Indeed.  89/100

Herdade Grande
herdadegrande.pt?

• 2003 Herdade Grande, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  A blend of aragonez, trincadeira and alicante bouschet.  There’s rich, leathery black fruit on the nose with some chocolate and tobacco.  Fairly sweet, ripe fruit on the palate.  Quite zingy and lively.  Good.  84/100
• 2005 Herdade Grande Colheita, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  This is a white wine made from antão vaz, arinto and others.  This has a rather curious nose with some distilled marzipan notes.  Very round and open on the palate with very unusual concentrated confectionery flavours.  Weird.  82/100??  Perhaps it’s worth as much as 85/100?
• 2004 Condado das Vinhas, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  A blend of trincadeira, aragonez and alfrocheiro.  The nose has ripe, juicy blackberry fruit.  There’s a lovely, giving palate and a nice, interesting flavour profile.  An attractive wine.  Very Good.  86/100
• 2005 Condado das Vinhas, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  This is the white version of the above, made from a blend of antão vaz and roupeiro.  The nose is very distinctive: quite pear droppy and plasticky.  Very simple on the palate and also very unusual.  But there’s a very odd imbalance to it.  OK.  77/100

PLC Companhia de Vinhos do Alandroal
plcvinhos.com?

• 2005 Boa Nova, Vinho Regional Alentejano, 13%
  This white is a blend of antão vaz, roupeiro and arinto made for drinking within three years.  On the nose, it has ripe, elegant, floral, almost pineapple fruits.  Good palate.  Fresh and fruity with lots of character.  This really works.  A very interesting wine.  Very Good Indeed+.  93/100
• 2002 Boa Nova, Vinho Regional Alentejano, 12.5%
  The red Boa Nova is a blend of alicante bouschet, aragonês, cabernet sauvignon and castelão.  There’s a lovely ripe red fruits nose with a hint eucalyptus.  Soft and gentle on the palate, with a lovely soft fruity character without the over-juiciness of many Portuguese reds.  This is just a very nice, easy wine that’s really very attractive.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 2004 Pontual Syrah, Vinho Regional Alentejano, 14.5%
  100% syrah, aged for 10 months in French and American new oak.  A nice fleshy, meaty red fruits nose.  Full, yet elegant palate.  Concentrated, yet un-jammy.  This is a very attractive pleasing wine.  Very Good Indeed.  89/100
• 2004 Pontual Touriga Nacional-Trincadeira, Vinho Regional Alentejano, 14.5%
  65% touriga nacional; 35% trincadeira, aged for 12 months in a mixture of American and French new oak.  This has a lovely nose with perfumed plummy fruit.  There’s lovely balance on the palate: this is a very nice wine indeed.  Impressive palate: elegant, perfumed and with super balance.  The oak is totally integrated and not at all noticeable.  Excellent.  95/100
• 2004 Pontual Reserva, Vinho Regional Alentejano, 14.5%
  This is a blend of 80% alicante bouschet, 10% touriga nacional and 10% syrah, aged for 12 months in French and American oak.  This has a really lovely nose, though quite undefinable.  Beautiful on the palate with clean, very attractive fruit.  Great balance.  Very Good Indeed/Excellent.  94/100

Vinhos Borges
www.vinhosborges.pt

• NV Gatão DOC Vinho Verde, 9%
  This is a blend of azal, pedernã, trajadura and avessa and comes in a somewhat off-putting blue tinted bottle, that makes the wine look blue.  A fresh, floral, easy nose.  Light and frangrant and easy, with a nice zing.  Very Good+.  88/100
• 2005 Quinta de Simaens, DOC Vinho Verde, 13%
  Normally only alvarinho based Vinhos Verdes reach higher alcohol levels, but this is a blend of pedernã, avesso and trajadura.  The reason for the alcohol level lies in the nature of the 2005 vintage that produced unusually super ripe grapes with unusually high potential alcohol levels.  This produced difficulties for winemakers who struggled to keep the alcohol levels down to the normal 9%-10% abv levels, and the authorities had to allow higher alcohol levels than normal.  Vinhos Borges’s winemaker decided to leave one batch to continue fermenting: apparently it reached 19% before they decided they had to stop it.
  So what’s a supercharged vinho verde like?  It has a fragrant, rounded nose.  The palate’s good; fragrant yet very full.  This isn’t vinho verde, but it’s really quite nice.  Very interesting.  Very Good.  87/100
• NV Gatão Rosé, Table wine, Trás-os-Montes
  Made from a blend of alvarelhão, tinta carvalha and touriga nacional.  A light salmon pink, this looks almost fizzy.  It has a light, talcy strawberry nose.  Very pétillant, almost sparkling on the palate.  Very light, fresh and almost watery.  Good.  82/100
• 2003 Dão Meia Encosta, DOC Dão
  This is a blend of touriga nacional, alfrocheira, tinta roriz.  It has a deep, ripe blackberry nose with some sandalwood.  Very clean and quite attractive.  Good balance and a nice character.  Very Good.  87/100
• 2004 Lello, DOC Douro
  A typical Douro blend of touriga franca, touriga nacional and tinta roriz.  A light young Douro nose, mainly with plummy fruit.  Fairly austere.  Very simple.  OK.  79/100
• 2003 Quinta de São Simão da Aguieira, DOC Dão
  A blend of touriga nacional, tinta roriz and trincadeira.  Ripe plums and cherries on the nose.  This has a nice ripe, full character, but it very much falls away and is really quite hollow, though it comes back with some decent spice on the finish.  Very Good.  87/100
• 2003 Borges Douro Red Reserva, DOC Douro
  The Douro blend of touriga nacional, tinta roriz and touriga franca that spends 9-12 months in oak.  The nose feels very integrated: nice and rich, gently perfumed, with gently chocolatey black fruit.  Very rich on the palate.  Sweet and ripe fruit on the palate, but with a very firm structure.  The oak is very much in control and really barely shows.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 2004 Quinta da Soalheira, DOC Douro
  Tinta roriz, touriga franca and tinta barroca.  This had only just (within the last week) been bottled.  There’s a decent, fairly rich nose with some gently portlike scents.  Decent, fairly simple palate.  Absolutely fine, but a bit uninteresting.  Though there’s an interesting tartness on the finish and after.  Very good length.  Good/Very Good.  85/100.

Dão Sul
www.daosul.com

• 2004 Quinta de Cabriz Colheita Seleccionada, DOC Dão
  Alfrocheira, touriga nacional and tinta roriz.  There are racy red fruits on the nose, with a bit of stink.  Good, easy palate.  Quite refreshing.  Good balance.  Very Good.  87/100
• 2004 Quinta de Cabriz Reserva, DOC Dão
  Alfrocheira, tinta roriz and touriga nacional.  This has a fairly dull nose with some straightforward black fruit.  Decent enough on the palate, but rather wild and spicy, though the spice would seem not to come from oak, as there are only quite delicate tannins on the finish.  Very Good.  86/100
• 2003 Casa de Santar Reserva, DOC Dão
  Alfrocheira, tinta roriz, touriga nacional.  This has a fairly complex nose with raspberry and black fruit.  Really good palate, with big fruit and some interesting character.  Very Good.  88/100
• 2003 Quinta das Tecedeiras Reserva, DOC Douro
  A blend of tinta roriz, touriga franca, touriga nacional and tinto cão.  The nose is rather wild with a spirity portlike note.  There is very ripe and sweet fruit on the palate, but with balance and structure to back it up.  Quite interesting.  Very Good.  87/100.
• 2003 Palestra Colheita, DOC Douro
  A blend of tinta roriz, tinta barroca, touriga nacional and tinto cão.  There are ripe, complex black fruits on the nose, along with some cedary notes.  On the palate, there’s good, giving fruit, followed by some grip on the finish from some decent tannins.   85/100
• 2004 Quinta do Encontro, DOC Bairrada
  A blend of merlot and baga in equal proportions.  Quite a perfumed nose with ripe black fruits.  Very interesting palate, with good fruit character.  Nice finish with some decent tannins.  Very Good.  87/100
• 2004 Monte da Cal Colheita, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  100% aragonês.  There’s good, ripe, chocolatey fruit on the nose.  The palate has some big, ripe fruit.  Overall, this feels a touch simple, though it’s very palatable.    84/100

Lagoalva de Cima

• 2003 Quinta de Lagoalva, Vinho Regional Ribatejo
  This blend of castelão and touriga nacional (in equal proportions) is the estate’s regular wine.  A light, very fresh, fragrant nose.  Very good palate: there’s lovely balance and a nice weight, with a chocolatey richness.  But it still remains fresh and balanced.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 2005 Quinta de Lagoalva, Vinho Regional Ribatejo
  This is 100% alfrocheiro.  The nose is sweet and concentrated with crème de mûre overtones.  There’s a really nice richness on the palate, combeined with a lovely juiciness.  Very Good Indeed.  89/100
• 2003 Quinta de Lagoalva Reserva, Vinho Regional Ribatejo
  The reserva is a blend of syrah, alfrocheiro and cabernet sauvignon.  It has rich concentrated blackberry fruit on the nose.  There’s a nice weight and balance on the palate, with good fruit character.  Very long and very fine finish.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100
• 2000 Quinta de Lagoalva Syrah, Vinho Regional Ribatejo
  There’s ripe and very sweet black fruits on the nose.  Good even fruit on the palate.  Fairly straightforward stuff.  Very Good.  87/100

Casa Agricola Alexandre Relvas
herdadedesaomiguel.com?

• 2004 Herdade São Miguel, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  A blend of aragonês, trincadeira preta, alicante bouschet and cabernet sauvignon.  There are ripe, fairly concentrated red and black fruits on the nose.  Very good palate: velvey and inviting.  A bit fiery hot on the finish.  Good.  82/100
• 2004 Montinho São Miguel, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  This is a blend of aragonês, trincadeira preta and cabernet sauvignon.  A lightish raspberry red appearance.  There are fresh red fruits on the nose, followed up by a good light palate.  Fresh and clean.  Very Good.  88/100
• 2004 Herdade São Miguel Reserva, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  This is a blend of aragonês, alicante bouschet and cabernet sauvignon.  The nose is deep and plummy with sweet blackberry fruit.  Glorious attack.  There’s a delicate silkiness, but it’s also very mouthfilling.  Elegant and restrained until the finish, when the tannins don’t so much grip as grab.  A bit overdone.  Good/Very Good.  85/100
• 2005 Aragonês São Miguel dos Descobridores, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  This has a fairly serious nose with good, ripe black fruit and some fresh leather.  Very silky attack.  There’s restrained fruit on the palate – ripe, yet restrained.  Quite grippy on the finish.  Very Good Indeed.  89/100
• 2005 Adega São Miguel dos Descobridores, Vinho Regional Alentejano
  A blend of aragonês, trincadeira preta and cabernet sauvignon.  A very young, clear, lightweight looking mauve appearance.  There’s bright young, plummy fruit with a touch of tobacco on the nose.  On the palate, there’s lots of vibrant, almost zingy fruit.  This is really very young, which makes it feel very simple.  Fairly simple and very easy.  Very Good.  86/100

Quinta Monteiro de Matos

• 2004 Terras de Paul Tinto, Vinho Regional Ribatejo, 13%
  Made mainly from cabernet sauvignon with just a touch of alicante bouschet, periquita, trincadeira, and aragonês.  It has a curious cheesy, perfumed nose.  Silky palate with fairly refined fruit, starting to verge on the austere.  Soft tannins appear on the finish and linger after.  A bit unusual with its own character.  Very Good.  86/100
• 2003 Terras de Paul Branco, Vinho Regional Ribatejo, 13%
  This is made from 70% fernão pires with the rest made up from antão vaz and chardonnay.  It has a big perfumed nose, but with a rich butteriness too.  Very good palate: smooth, rich and fairly mouthfilling with very good balance.  There are some interesting flavours in this.  Very Good Indeed.  90/100

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Last updated: 13 October 2006