2007 Quinta do Côtto Douro

WineAlign

• By David Lawrason
  1/20/2010, (See more on WineAlign...)

  (Quinta Do Côtto, Doc Douro red) Login and sign up and see review text.

• By John Szabo, MS
  1/13/2010, (See more on WineAlign...)

  (Quinta Do Côtto, Doc Douro red) Login and sign up and see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  6/2/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (COTTO Quinta) Moonshine Dear Friends, While driving the roads of southern Italy, I frequently passed wine-hawkers selling their home-brew out of a rusty van or truck with nothing but a handmade sign and a pile of hand corked bottles by their side. Most of these sold for under 2E and I initially drove right by these bizarre cavistes...until I noticed many of the locals stopping - and stopping en-masse. In the end, some of the best wine I tasted on my trip to Italy was the red wine moonshine being sold along the side of the road - no label, no additives, no sulfur - nothing except wild field blends of Nero d'Troia, Negroamaro and Malvasia Nero with 11.0-12.0% alcohol and colors so deeply red, the nickname of this category of street wine is Sangue (blood). These are wines that taste so shockingly of the soil and slope they are grown on that any influence of oak, winemaker or other is not only improbable, it's basically impossible - at 1-2 Euro/bottle, there is little room for the expense of oak and little time for manipulation (there is also little wine to be had - some of these had production totals of 20-30 cases - it is not possible to export them). After tasting a number of these delightful wines, I found myself asking the same relative question: do I derive more pleasure from something like 1982 Mouton or something like the street moonshine? The answer was not so simple. The Mouton is a glorious, complex and incredible treat with an aromatic tidal wave and texture of pure heaven - the moonshine generally has a rough persona but it is equally complex in a delicate, fresh and just-pressed way. It is bright and alive with little chance of seeing its fifth birthday but that is also its appeal - a wine to drink now without worry for the right moment down the road. Even still, the pleasure derived from the 1982 Mouton and the moonshine was (in some strange way) equal. Without the pressure of a special occasion or preconception (as the 1982 Mouton certainly dictates), the moonshine was a surprise every time I tasted it. I sampled 7 different versions, all from different home-wineries in various parts of Puglia and Basilicata - sold by the side of the road - all were all eye-opening concoctions that gave me a firm reminder of the importance of impartial judgment. In addition, the term "special" is in the eye of the beholder. The farmer that sold me a bottle of 1E moonshine believed his wine was the most special wine in the region - in the moment of that first sip, I couldn't agree more. That brings us to today's offer...not from Puglia but from an area that reminds me of the same sense of innocence and honesty in wine - Portugal. The Quinta do Cotto is a poster child for the unpretentious, fresh quality noted above - it is also a symbol of the new era in Portuguese dry red wine - lower in alcohol and bursting with delicious spice-laden red fruit (versus the raisined/black fruit of old). 2007 in Portugal is shaping up to be very similar to that of central Spain and the Southern Rhone - exceptional by any standard. This wine is a showcase for why you do not need to spend loads of hard-earned money on expensive wine to find something of vinous intrigue. For under $12, this more than wets the appetite with low-moderate alcohol, buckets of full flavored, bright fruit and a seamless style. From a blend of indigenous grapes, I believe this is going to be very popular. In some way, it is the Douro version of moonshine - a wine to open any night of the week without care or concern other than how easy it is to forget the importance of preconception. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for no-nonsense, honest value with impact and fruit to burn. This parcel is directly from the winery with perfect provenance (at about the same price as in Lisbon): 2007 Quinta do Cotto (Douro) It will ship during the Fall shipping season. Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Port5500