Nice, spicy oak nose, not the biggest body (as perhaps the '04 or '03), perhaps lacking the most mid-palate. Gentle fruit.

Rich, toasty Burgundian nose--so fine, so rich. Very sweet tannin, already smooth and fine-grained. 65% Nacional, 25% Franca, 10% (Roriz? Didn't finish writing). Quite spectacular really. Some nice herbiness, but altogether pleasant florality dominates the nose, with lavender and chamomile sharing moments of charm and grace. A wine to study, to enjoy, but ultimately to share. I can think of sooooo many good meals at which this wine would be a requisite guest. 94.

Extremely pleasant, supple sipper--mango, apricot, some kumquat, just all around fruity and straightforward. Decent, subdued acidity.

Incredibly complex evergreen, mint and underbrush nose (straw even?), extreme and opulent butterscotch. On the palate this exhibits med-bodied weight, subtle botterscotch notes again, not such an acidic dynamic, but nevertheless comes across as mildly refreshing. Good wine.

30% Alicante Bouschet, 30% Aragones, 40% Nacional. What an incredible wine!!! Inexplicable depth to the nose, rich, bouyant tannin, incredibly structured, massive, fully fleshed body, yet accessible. This is a wine with maddening potential. Absolutely loved this. 93.

(Barrel sample) 5,000 bottles, to be bottled in Apr '08. Delicious, open-knit, with only the slightest signs of its barrel fermentation. Zingy lemon and braeburn notes, full-bodied, and only slightly creamy mid-palate. Just an exuberant wine throughout. Easily one of the best Douro white wines I've ever tasted. 94.

Food-trodden in lagares. Second wine of Passadouro. Primarily Roriz and Franca here, with a lesser amount of Nacional. Really quite firm and forward. Not bad.

I was a bit smitten by the nose in a lot of these wines, especially the ones of Jorge's other project, Pintas. And not in an entirely good way. I had to ask a lot of questions to try to understand the product and the process that delivered this most peculiar of aromes. Very excited cold plum freshness on the nose, tasting at once both diluted yet vibrant. Still a mystery to me. Jorge called it complexity, but given the vintage conditions, I call it enigma. While it should have been a wash out, there are still redemptive qualities in a majority of the wines picked before the rains, especially at Pintas.

Old vineyards (70 yrs old). All lagares, food-trodden vinification. Field blend, but primarily Franca and Roriz. Incredibly complex nose, but again, strangely off-putting to me. Lots of new French oak on the nose, full-bodied palate, sweet tannin.

15,000 bottles. Incredible basis for quality here. Vinified with half estate grapes (40 yr old vines) and half purchased grapes (all field blend). 50% new French oak. 14,5% alc/vol. Delicious. But in a different profile than the standard Character.

3,000 bottles. 75 yr old vines, field blend. Tight and understated at the moment, but gorgeous nonetheless. For me, exquisite juice. Already impeccably balanced and lovely. Hot cherry pie nose and blackberry. Mmmmm.

Vintage Port. Classically fresh, brilliant fruit. Just massive, freshly crushed red fruit, licorice, just everything a Port lover could want. So complex, yet so easy to appreciate at this point. Highly, highly recommended.