Getting in the spirit to go back to Portugal

[Frederick Blais]

Each year before going to Portugal, I organise a tasting with a few friends where I pour Portuguese wines and Port to spread the words. This year I was also the cook of a 7 course meal. Luckily I got some help that was greatly appreciated.

As a welcome wine, I did serve the Saumur 2004, chateau Yvonne. My white wine of the summer, it needs 30 mins in the decanter to show amazing concentration of flavours and a precise mineral presence on the palate to keep everyting clean and fresh. We do not drink enough chenin blanc! And it is very cheap!

Niepoort Redoma Branco reserva 2005 : An amazingly fresh redoma it was, delicate flavours or ripe pears, honey comb and citrus. The palate is light but focused, great balance and acidity with fresh almonds flavours, the finish is the most impressive showing lingering lenght! 17/20+

Casa Ferreirinha, Barca Velha 1999 : This Barca Velha was the star red of the night. The nose was ever changing with truffles, dark berries, tobacco, licorice, floral, leather and chocolate flavours. The palate was surprisingly accessible for such a young Barca Velha, though it is true to its style with bold tannins and shard acidity, nevertheless this wine was silky on the palate showing impressive balance with the same complex flavours diversity as the nose. The finish was long and complex. A 5 star wine. 18.5/20+

Quinta do Vale Meao 2001 : I wanted to compare this wine with the Barca Velha because the 99 of the later is the first year where no grapes from Vale Meao where used as this vineyard used to be its unique source. The Vale Meao is crafted in the modern style showing floral notes, dark berries, licorice and vanilla flavours on the attractive bouquet. The palate was smooth, tannins are present but polished and integrated, the flavours of fresh ripe plums and licorice are dominant, great acidity again keeping this douro wine fresh appart from the alcohol showing on the finish. 17/20 It did suffer to be compared to its new neighbour Barca Velha now made from the Quinta da Leda Vineyard.

Chateau D'Yquem 1986 :What a surprise from my always too generous friend Eric. When Yquem nails a wine, it is always impressive, this one was no exception. THe bouquet was immense and still so young. Concentrated flavours of honey, pineapple, ripe buttery pears and so floral! The palate was sweet, balanced and intense with that rich viscous texture only Yquem can achieve in Sauternes. Long long finish, lucious and decadent and the bottle was emptied very fast 19/20+

Quinta do Noval Nacional 1983: Upon decanting this Port I was worried about his light color. 5 hours later, it comfirmed to me that my worries where sadly true. This wine was showing a light tawny color with light ruby to the translucide center, very similar to a 20 year old tawny. The cork was pristine and the part dipping into port was showing a very dark color telling me that this port was once very dark. Was it a faulty bottle or just a Nacional evolving very fast? This one was still enjoyable showing complex nose of floral, toffey, tobacco leathery flavours. On the palate, the acidity is taking over the sweatness, it is light considering a VP from this age, the finish of medium lenght dominated by caramel and toffey flavours is showing alcool. It was a bit better on the 2nd day, the only bottle not finished of the night. Served blind, I'd definitively be gone for a 25yo colheita. 16/20 This bottle was bought at Noval shop in Gaia in 2006. I still have another bottle bought in 2004 and I don't know what to do with it .

Taylor Fladgate 1994 Michel's contribution and it's purpose was to challenge the Nacional... easy task. This 94 was nowhere near to be closed as I've never seen any going trough a numb phase. It was intense and bold both on the palate and nose, flavours of licorice, ripe dark berries, cherries and plums, perfectly balanced, low acidity and very sweet with a lenghty spicy finish. 18/20

[DRT]

Fred,

Some impressive wines

What a pity about your NN83. This certainly sounds like a flawed bottle as I would not expect a Nacional of this age to be showing such maturity, especially given that the provenance is as good as it could possibly be having been bought directly from the producer.

Perhaps it is worth taking the empty bottle back to the Noval shop and enquiring whether or not they have had customers with similar experience with this vintage. You have nothing to lose and possibly the chance of a replacement bottle or a bottle of something else as compensation. They may also exchange your remaining bottle if you swap it for another vintage?

I hope you enjoy your forhtcoming trip to the Douro.

Derek

[Alex Bridgeman]

Fred

Thanks for posting the note on the NN '83, despite the disappointing experience. I have a couple of bottles of NN '83 that I bought from Noval last year and I am now slightly worried. However, I am still hopeful that you had a poor bottle as Roy's tasting notes on the NN '83 were very different from your experience.

Alex

[Axel P]

Fred,

unfortunately a NN is not always an institute for a good port.

In years like 83, which I personally like very much and which are quite reasonable priced so far, I heard from two guys, who made the same experience you had. Sorry to hear that.

My lesson learned is: spend some more and get better years - unless for your own trying -, but as we all now: better years with a NN does mean spend much more.

I made that experience twice with the Noval 63 and the Noval 70, which I disliked compared to the Ports from other producers of these strong years. They were definitely not worth the money.

Axel

[Frederick Blais]

I did have some afterthoughts on this NN. Was it a bad bottle or just what it tastes like. I bought it mainly because it was cheap and because it was highly rated by Roy Hersh, the only one I could find a reference as a known taster back in 2004.

But know as I look into things.... I think that Noval knows what they are selling and if it is cheaper than other Nacional, it is probably due to quality, I mean, look at the top rated NN and they all go for 600+ euros, why some were left so cheap?

I still have a 2nd bottle and I just don't know what to do with it ... or more when to open it.