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Angelica wine club - Portugal
Strand Cellars, Croydon
Tasted March 10, 2020 by chatters with 190 views
Introduction
An opportunity to try a load of Portuguese wines with the guys.
Flight 1 (9 notes)
White
2016 Quinta do Ameal Loureiro Vinho Verde
Medium plus intensity aromas but the wine is fresh, lightweight, slightly herbaceous notes, sulphur, Served a bit cold but, as the glass warms in the hands, a little stone fruit and tends to the peachy. Medium plus intensity acidity, fresh lime, peach strays to lychee, a bit of burr on the mid palate, slight hard bitter notes as well. Alcohol warmth but fresh acid. Okay
White
2015 Dona Paterna Monção e Melgaço
slight wood glue blows off with time to show sweet spice, marzipan, almond, slight honey, perfumed top notes with a mineral underpin. Medium plus acidity acidity, a sense of denseness, alcohol warmth, citrus, a little honey, quite mineral on the palate as well. it's a bit 'hmm' by itself but comes to the party with food.
White
2015 Herdade do Esporão Esporão Reserva Branco
A little oak, wood glue, cream, slight butter and alcohol warmth, a little honey, lemon, apple, sweet spice. In the mouth it's juicy with citrus, honey, lemon peel, touch of ripe apple, alcohol warmth, textured; a little dense but balanced. Hmm.
Red
2018 Adega Mãe Vinho Regional Lisboa Dory
Pretty whole blackberry and cherry fruit, spice, a little vanilla and black pepper, floral top notes on the nose. In mouth plenty of acid, tannins, alcohol and black fruits. Tightly textured. I like the nose, less enamoured with the palate but I do like the juxtaposition between the nose and the palate.
Red - Fortified
N.V. Ferreira Porto 10 Year Old Tawny Quinta do Porto
Alcohol warmth, oxidised notes, rancio, a touch of cork taint, slight leather, figs, plenty of spice, walnuts, slightly spiritous; the brandy is a bit pokey. Off dry tending to sweetly cloying, figs, toffee, apple, the alcohol is a bit too pointy for me. This is not to my liking.
Red - Fortified
2007 Ferreira Porto Late Bottled Vintage
Leather, blackberry, a little spiritous, plums, slight herbaceous notes, loads of sweet spice, a touch of menthol, almost a slight pine note. In the mouth the alcohol lends plenty of peppery spice, black fruit lozenges, liquorice, off dry, plenty of tight grippy tannins that are chalky textured, sufficient acid to keep things clean.
Red - Fortified
1985 Dow Porto Vintage
Decanted for about 90 minutes. Medium minus intensity aromas of black plum, cherry, fig, spice, alcohol more controlled here. I get a touch of volatility. Alcohol is less intrusive on the palate as well. Flavours are a little muted, integrated though with leathery, tight, textured tannins. Figs, slight caramel. Pleasant.
Red - Fortified
2011 Cockburn Porto Vintage
Massive black fruit, umeboshi, inky almost, touches of reductiveness, an almost saline quality, plenty of spice, with time a little leathery note as well. And the palate is a fair representation of the nose with juicy acid and plenty of grainy tannins, liquorice, the tannins dry out the palate but the fruit persists. Alcohol warmth is already integrated. This is beautifully balanced and impetuously youthful.
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Comment
Red
2012 Grosset Gaia
Served blind. Reductive, funky, cheesy, chalky, blackberry, sweet spice. Juicy, spicy, tight tannins are chalky and grippy, a little struck match, a little blackberry. The palate is reductive as well. Wet. Hmm.
Closing
An interesting session. I wasn't a big fan of the Ferreira wines but the young Cockburn was a wonderful beast.
The 2012 Gaia was soooo closed despite a splash decant that it reminded me of the Gaia 2008 I'd had a few weeks ago which led to a top notch rant about how annoying screwcap wines are with age as they all end up reductive and need decanting and agitation and time before they show anything. Of course I then guessed it was a Shiraz from Victoria...sigh...top notch fact plant but all good fun