1990 Caves São João Bairrada Frei João

Community Tasting Notes (11) Median Score: 90 points

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  2/25/2022 - mattym19 Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Cork in good condition for being 30+ years old. Open in the bottle for about 3 hours; only now coming around to be an enjoyable glass. Maybe I should have decanted? Anyway, the nose is finally gaining complexity: red and black berries, slight camphor or maybe eucalyptus leaves, forest floor. Palate was initially a bit thin but has filled out with notes of strawberry, hoisin sauce, grape leaf and a red licorice finish, which I personally did not find too short. It’s still in balance with quite strong acidity and resolved but definitely still present tannins. Definitely still has a few years but I am not sure it will stay in balance for much longer than that. Great QPR (and APR—age/price ratio) and I thought it was excellent with a pan-seared ribeye. If I had more I would be very glad to drink them, but I would invite some friends and definitely decant first ; )

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  11/6/2020 - Harley1199 Likes this wine:

  After a 50 years old Bairrada bottle, today it was the turn for another one with only thirty, that I already had the chance to drink almost five years ago. Cork totally soaked by wine (pictured). One day we will have to talk about the low quality of Portuguese cork but only for most Portuguese bottles ... it is all so strange. Delicate aromas of hawthorn flower, tanned leather, violets, dusty red berries, wet sandalwood, plum jelly, notes of pastry, slightly meaty ... wide complexity. The charm of this grape is not limited to the olfactory phase, it also extends to the palate with a smooth texture, medium-bodied, deep acidity and a moderate length. Delicate like old Rioja, resistant masculinity like in a Barolo. Quaffable but lacks depth. Unknown to most aficionados, these wines deserve respect and, in my view, true veneration.
  
  Después de una botella de Bairrada con 50 años, hoy tocaba otra con únicamente treinta y que ya tuve ocasión de beber hace cinco años. Corcho totalmente empapado por el vino en la imagen). Algún día habrá que hablar de la baja calidad del corcho portugués pero sólo para la mayoría de botellas portuguesas ... es todo tan extraño.
  Delicados aromas a flor de espino, cuero curtido, violetas, bayas rojas polvorientas, sándalo húmedo, gelatina de ciruela, notas de pastelería, ligeramente cárnico ... amplia complejidad. El encanto de esta uva no se limita a la fase olfativa, extendiéndose también al paladar con una suave textura, un cuerpo medio, profunda acidez y moderada longitud. Delicado cómo rioja viejo, resistente masculinidad cómo en un Barolo. Zampable aunque carece de profundidad. Desconocidos por la mayor parte de los aficionados, estos vinos merecen respeto y, en mi caso, auténtica veneración.

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  9/12/2019 - BillBell73 Likes this wine:

  A bit thin on the palate but complex aromatics. A good bottle but not very pleasurable by itself- this needs food.

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  7/20/2018 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Very nice bottle of aged wine. Smooth, clearly very mature fruit and mushroom flavors. A bit clipped on the finish or would have rated even higher (I believe others have noted this)

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  12/20/2017 - cofidis2 wrote: 82 Points

  An ex-cellar bottle recently released onto the market. I decanted off the sediment and immediately rebottled it to take it to dinner. Tasted about 2 hours later. The palate was very nice. Plenty of acidity, dried cherries, hay, an ever so faint note of barnyard in the background, a soft pleasing texture and noticeable tannins still hanging on. The finish however was the exact opposite, totally clipped. Had the finish been there my score would have much higher. I've never had this so I don't know if the longer decanted was to blame or not. The next bottle I'll pop-and-pour and see how it shows that way.
  82 Points

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View all 11 Community Tasting Notes

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