2009 Herdade do Esporão Esporão Reserva Branco

Community Tasting Notes (20) Avg Score: 87.8 points

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  1/4/2019 - forceberry wrote: 90 Points

  A blend of Arinto (40%), Antão Vaz (30%) and Roupeiro (30%). Short pre-fermentation skin contact. Fermented and aged for 6 months in a combination of stainless steel and new French and American oak barrels. 14,5% alcohol.
  
  Moderately developed and quite deep straw yellow color. Somewhat developed nose with waxy aromas of tertiary nuttiness, some creamy oak, a little bit of caramel, light bruised apple tones and a sappy hint of herbal greenness. The wine is broad, full-bodied and oily on the palate with complex, juicy flavors of creamy oak, wizened peachy stone fruits, some vanilla, a little bit of roasted walnuts, light buttery tones and even some butterscotch, a hint of passion fruit and a touch of toasty smoke. The wine feels quite weighty and the noticeable ripeness lends a somewhat sweet edge to the fruit. The acidity feels medium-to-moderately high. The finish is rich and very lengthy with ripe, complex flavors of cooked apple, some pineapple, a little bit of creamy oak, light nutty tones of slivered almonds and roasted walnuts, a hint of caramel and a touch of apricot jam. The high alcohol shows to some degree.
  
  An enjoyably complex and nicely developed white Esporão Reserva that seems to be at its peak. The wine has acquired that beautiful, Burgundian complexity one looks for in cellaring these wines, but unfortunately the hot vintage has left its mark here: the acidity really doesn't feel adequate enough to carry the flavors and the high alcohol lends a rather warm touch to the mouthfeel. From a cooler, more acid-driven vintage this wine could've been very impressive, but now it feels a bit dull and ponderous despite the depth of flavor. All in all, a rather lovely effort that falls a bit short.

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  1/4/2019 - Ran-Dom-Perignon Likes this wine:

  Nose: ripe apple, dried apricot, honey, lemon, black pepper,
  Full body, developed to maturity, integrated oak
  Palate: ripe apple, apricot, vanilla, ginger

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  10/26/2017 - PSPatrick wrote: 90 Points

  The wine was medium yellow-golden in colour and offered lemon cream, oak and spice aromas on the nose. On the palate, the ripe and oaky wine showed creamy lemon, some peach, tropical fruit, oak, vanilla, popcorn and spice, with medium-level acidity, a creamy yet rustic mouthfeel and very good length of the nutty and mildly bitter finish. A very good wine in its category and in a good place now, just not a style I like.

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  2/6/2016 - chcook Likes this wine:

  Found on close out and bought it because I love this producers rose. PNP. Cork perfect. Color dark straw. Nose has a lot of tropical fruit. Swishing shows dense acidity to balance the dense fruit and alcohol. Does not seem hot at all although there is some has a nuttiness on the finish but the acid keeps this focused. Will be great with paella I expect and can't wait to try.

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  10/24/2013 - chatters wrote:

  Herbaceous, almost pine, cream and oak, citrus - lime and slight butter. In the mouth more butteriness, spice, alcohol warmth. Meh

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