1985 Caves São João Dão Porta dos Cavaleiros

Community Tasting Notes (19) Avg Score: 89.5 points

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  6/30/2023 - mattym19 Likes this wine: 90 Points

  I think Noahcap pretty much nailed it, but I’ll add my two cents anyway : ) 40% Jaen, 20% Alfrocheiro (?), 20% Preto de Mortagua (??), 10% Tinta Roriz, 10% Baga according to the label. Pnp, didn’t feel like it needed a decant, nose is chocolatey, tobacco, pencil, trending towards mushrooms. There’s vague red berry fruit but it’s definitely buried underneath a lot of savory notes. The nose is great actually but the palate is a bit of let down, a bit thin and hollow in the mid-palate but otherwise kind of reminiscent of an old Bordeaux. Cherries, hint of mint, gravel, graphite, dark chocolate, a little bit of cured meat. Nice complexity but unfortunately the finish is quite short. Good tannin/acidity balance. If it were longer and the palate were fuller this would be a glorious wine. As it is I think it’s probably just a few years past it’s prime. Not bad now but definitey time to drink up.

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  8/30/2022 - NoahCap wrote:

  I should start by noting the incredible opportunity this wine provides. Made from a mixture of unusual native varieties, cellared in perfect conditions at the domaine for 30+ yrs, released to the public for less than $50. What an opportunity for those hoping to get a taste of an interesting aged wine at a reasonable price!
  
  That being said, the wine is good, but not great. The cork is in fantastic shape; it must have been recorked. Quite a bit of well-behaved sediment. To me, it smells like an old Bordeaux; dark fruits, pencil lead, damp earth, and a leatheriness that is unfortunately a bit too long in the tooth for my taste (and I'm someone who likes old wine). There's some of that indefinable, too-old-wine smell that's kind of like saddle soap, kind of like soy sauce, kind of like an old leather boot.
  
  In the mouth, surprisingly, the initial impression is a wonderful core of sweet dark cherry fruit that is just lovely. The flavors are much more fruit forward than I would have expected. The tannins are completely gone. The acidity is medium. But the longer it's in your mouth, the older it seems. Not in a good way. The finish has a distinct flavor of soy sauce unfortunately.
  
  Interestingly, I poured half the bottle into a 375mL, popped it in the fridge, and it kept very nicely. If anything, a bit more fruit forward the following day. So although I think this wine is a bit on the downslope, the slope is a gentle one and it will persist in a nice drinking window for quite a few yrs longer. 5 at least. Overall, an okay drink, but a wonderful cost effective opportunity to drink something interesting, aged, and unique. I'd buy it again.

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  12/12/2021 - trumpet60201 Does not like this wine: 83 Points

  Nose was decent: herbs and some interesting wood. Palate had a long finish, but it just wasn't delicious. It seemed like a mix of odd mushrooms and barbecue - bizarre.

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  1/2/2021 - Alekos Likes this wine: 88 Points

  Nice but a bit disappointing. Very tight when opened with some eucalyptus and red fruit on the nose. After 30-45 minutes the wine reaches its peak with very ripe figs, some wet forest and mushroom notes and different layers of leather. It seems it has already peaked but the acidity is still going strong. Would love to have a second bottle to taste but that's not the case.

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  8/13/2020 - tunaguy Likes this wine: 92 Points

  a really fun wine that changed a lot over the course of about 4 hours. leather, aged balsamic, red fruit, dried flowers, cellar mold, curing meat/bacon fat. still life in the tank for several more years but not sure if it is going to improve

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