A Weekend at Qta. do Passadouro (April 2004)

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RonnieRoots
Fonseca 1980
Posts: 1981
Joined: 08:28 Thu 21 Jun 2007
Location: Middle Earth

A Weekend at Qta. do Passadouro (April 2004)

Post by RonnieRoots »

Lady Roots and I spent a wonderful weekend at Quinta do Passadouro in the Douro valley in Portugal. After staying a full week there last year (together with StevieCage) this became one of our favorite places to visit. The beautiful quinta, the hospitality and the astonishing scenery are simply the best. The quinta is situated along the Pinhao river, next to Fonseca's Quinta do Cruzeiro, Taylor's Quinta de Terra Feita and Warre's Quinta de Cavadinha. Quinta do Noval is just a little further on the road.

After a long day of travelling we were welcomed with a lovely refreshing glass of Portonic; one of the many to follow this weekend. For those of you who are not familiar with this drink, it's 1/3 dry white port, 2/3 tonic, ice and a leave of mint. A great summer drink.

Our hosts provided us with many wines, most of which I will give some impressions on below.

Quinta de Cidrô Chardonnay 2001:
A portuguese chardonanny, made by Real Companhia Velha (Royal Oporto). Their ports are dubious (to say the least), but the wines of Quinta de Cidrô are very well made. This is a nice, full and creamy, but still fresh wine. A good example of a chardonnay that's not OTT.

Niepoort Redoma 1996 (from half bottle):
I had tasted this one before. Then, it was liquid oak ( Eek). Now, I think I had a bad bottle, because this one was completely different. There was a lot of oak, but it was accompanied by lovely ripe fruit and some great spices and herbs. A wine with a great backbone that will hold for a little while longer.

Niepoort Redoma 1995 (from half bottle):
Even better than the 1996. Darker, more fruit, more tannins and more spices (black pepper). A bit earthy as well. Great wine.

Quinta do Passadouro 1999 red wine:
We tasted this two times. The first one was in the decanter for one day already, and it hadn't developed in the right direction: Banana foam candy in the nose and taste were very dominant (I don't know if "foam" is the proper English translation, but that's how we call the stuff over here). Lots of alcohol completed a 'pina colada' experience. The second one was opened just before drinking and it was a completely different wine: sweet dark red fruit on the nose and a lovely fruity and spicy taste. Medium bodied and well structured.

Rozés 1994 LBV (traditional):
A pleasant surprise, that shows Rozés' capability of making very fine LBV's. Ripe, but still fruity, some tawny characteristics (gained from relatively long cask riping) that makes this a lovely complex LBV.

Vinho Verde 1995:
Made from the Alvarinho grape, but I forgot the producer. I like to mention it though, because it was far from gone. It was very good! This wine proved that some vinho verdes have the ability to age.

Rozés Vintage Port 2000:
A well made, fruit forward and direct vintage port. Not overly complex, not very thick bodied, but a lovely port to enjoy on the short to medium term.

Quinta do Passadouro LBV 1997:
This is great! My first impression was that this had to be a vintage port. If you find this, buy it. It will give you tons of pleasure for a LBV price.

Niepoort Redoma Branco 2002:
I tasted the 2001 before, and that is a massive white wine, with lots of oak and spices. The 2002 is a completely different style: fresh, light and delightful. There are still lots of spices and there is still some oak, but it seems to be better balanced. Wonderful wine.

Niepoort Vertente 2001:
The most affordable wine in the Niepoort range. And a nice one. A good example of the Niepoort style in red wines, made for immediate enjoyment (with some good food!)

Ramos Pinto Vintage Port 1994:
Not the best of vintage ports. Actually, if you come across it: don't buy. It is too light and one dimensional for a vintage port.

Niepoort Colheita 1994:
I hardly ever drink young colheitas. I liked this one, but still I think it's a shame to bottle colheitas this young. At this stage (for me) the wine shows too little of both worlds. A bit fruity and a bit nutty, but nothing really outspoken. Other tableguests thoroughly enjoyed though, this is only my personal preference.

Quinta do Passadouro Vintage Port 1992:
Yummy! Quite ripe already (we guessed it to be 1987) and drinking like a dream at this moment.

There were some other wines, that I don't remember at the moment. Things became blurry at some point every evening, because the nights were filled with food and wine. When I remember more I will add it, and I'm sure that Lady Roots will post some additions too.
I do know that we also drank a very good red wine by Lavradores de Feitoria, but I don't recall which one (they make a lot of different wines!)

Perhaps the most memorable wine was a trockenbeerenauslese. But not just one. It was made as an experiment by Dirk van der Niepoort and his mother. Produced in the Minho region (where vinho verde is made), and never commercialised. This bottle came from the private collection of Quinta do Passadouro. It was actually very good.

I like to thank Ronald and Jet, the hosts of the quinta, for the great time we had together. I recommended this place before to you guys, but I will do so again. If you ever plan to visit the Douro region (which is a smart idea), take some time to stay at Quinta do Passadouro. You won't be dissapointed. Edit: I don't have any commercial relation with Passadouro
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