Weekly tasting group #183; Portugal and Spanish Tempranillo

At late notice the planned tasting was cancelled. I suggested the participants that an alternative tasting could be held at my place if they would bring a Portuguese wine or a Spanish Tempranillo.
I have numbered bottle bags, so when they came in I asked them to pick a bag where they thought there wine would fit best if the idea is to go from old to young and from elegant to powerful.
That resulted in three flights of 3 wines and one flight of 2 wines. So except for our own wines we tasted the wines blind.

• 1999 Quinta do Crasto Touriga Nacional Douro 87 Points

  Portugal, Douro

  The bouquet is still a feast; mature and a bit dusty, but also sweet spices, tobacco, earth, iodine, eucalyptus and a pleasant dose of oak. On the palate the wine disappoints a bit because the (old age) acidity is a bit too dominant. There are still red and some dark fruits and bell pepper and the tannin is a bit drying. Still nice, but drink soon. 87 - 88, but because it will not improve I put 87 in CT this time.

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• 2004 Bodegas Felix Callejo Ribera del Duero Reserva 90 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  In the bouquet red and dark berries, sweet spices and vanilla. On the palate ripe dark berries, red berries as well, herbs and spices, firm acidity with good freshness, slightly drying tannin and a touch of bitterness in the finish. Overall a well structured wine that might still improve a bit with a few more years of ageing. 89+ for tonight. Day 2 the wine had gained quite much in finesse and complexity, so I change the score to 90 (easily). Wait until 2020 is probably a wise thing to do.

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• 2009 Quinta do Crasto Touriga Nacional Douro 90 Points

  Portugal, Douro

  In the bouquet still very youthful and lactic with cherries and red and dark berries as well as coconut. On the palate creamy dark and red berries, vanilla, coconut, good acidity and round tannin. A meaty wine. In this stage not showing much complexity yet, but it needs at least 5+ years of ageing. 89 – 90++ for tonight. Hope to taste again around 2022.

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• 2004 Quinta da Romaneira Douro 90 Points

  Portugal, Douro

  Beautiful and concentrated bouquet with dark forest fruits, tobacco, leather, sweet spices, eucalyptus and forest floor. On the palate full bodied with a lot of dark berries, spices and some chocolate. Good acidity and a pleasant touch of sweetness. Round tannin. Well balanced and concentrated wine. Ready now but it will stay on this level for another 1 or 2 years. Really beautiful. 90 for sure and maybe even 91, but I will put 90 in CT.

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• 2009 Bodegas Ondarre Rioja Reserva 85 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  Already a new short note. Have a few, so I added the wine in a line-up with several other Spanish and Portuguese wines. The wine is definitely ok, but light bodied and quite simple compared to the other wines in the tasting. See also my other notes. 85 for tonight.

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• 2010 Finca Museum Cigales Museum Reserva 88 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Cigales

  The bouquet is creamy and lactic with dark cherries and dark as well as red berries. On the palate red and dark fruits as well, a bit powdery, sweet spices, good acidity and fairly mild tannin and some length. Not very exclusive, but certainly more than ok. Good qpr!

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• 2008 Dona Maria Vinho Regional Alentejano Amantis Reserva Tinto 87 Points

  Portugal, Alentejano, Vinho Regional Alentejano

  Beautiful bouquet with dark forest fruits, sweet spices, fennel and anise. On the palate not so very expressive, but there are dark and red forest fruits, some herbs and spices, bell pepper and oak. The acidity is ok, but a bit special in a way and ok tannin and bitterness. Definitely a good wine and it might improve a bit with a few more years of ageing. 87+ for tonight.

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• 2010 Condado de Haza Ribera del Duero Crianza 88 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, smoke, tobacco and vanilla. On the palate dark fruits, some chocolate, some black pepper, good and firm acidity and also firm, fairly round tannin which is slightly drying. Good concentration. Day two the wine had not changed much. Give it a few more years of ageing. Between 2018 and 2020+?

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• 2010 Quinta do Crasto Douro Reserva Old Vines 89 Points

  Portugal, Douro

  In the bouquet dark forest fruits, smoke, oak, sweet spices, vanilla, leather and a bit rustic. On the palate dark berries as well, some chocolate, coffee and black pepper. Beautiful acidity and firm but round tannin. Concentrated wine with some red fruit acidity in the finish. Still quite youthful. Wait until around 2019+. 89+ for tonight.

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• 2013 Quinta do Crasto Syrah Vinho Regional Duriense Superior 90 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Vinho Regional Duriense

  In the bouquet red berry fruits, roses, herbs and spices and bubble gum. On the palate still young and lactic with cherries and strawberries and a firm dose of oak. Good acidity and also a firm amount of sweetness. Overall this is a well balanced and concentrated wine. Still much too young, but already showing this is a promise for the future. Probably not before 2020. Would like to taste this again at 10 years of age. So in 2023. 89 - 91

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• 2012 Teso La Monja Toro Almirez 91 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Toro

  See also my previous notes. Needed one extra wine, so I opened another bottle prematurely. My notes on this one; dark and red fruits in the still quite locked bouquet. On the palate also still locked, but there are a lot of dark forest fruits and vanilla from the oak. Coffee and licorice as well, firm acidity and tannin. Should save my last 3 bottles for several years, but the size of the bottle doesn’t make it easy to put them out of close reach…;-)

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