2005 Robert Reynolds Fortified Wine
Posted: 17:20 Sat 12 May 2018
Julian Reynolds showed three of his fortified Alicante Bouschet wines from the Alentejo at the Big Fortified Tasting in 2018. Unfortunately I only had the chance to make a tasting note on one of the three (which were 2008, 2006 and 2005). Fortunately it was the best of the three that I was able to enjoy. The wines are made with carefully selected fruit, fermented in oak casks until the sugar has been converted to alcohol and then topped up with brandy to 19%. They throw a considerable crust in the bottle, to the extent that it is almost impossible to see through the bottle due to the sediment clinging to the glass.
The colour is a glorious rich red, deep and dark — not yet mature but with no sign of purple youth. The nose is very expressive with plenty of damson and roasted meat, deep and complex and begging to be tasted. And the taste is worth savouring. Smooth in texture, the wine flows across the tongue leaving a beautifully balanced spread of sweet fruit, slight dried, slightly baked and very delicious. The fruit is supported by the perfect amount of acidity which keeps the palate fresh and lively — even to the extent of adding a little peppercorn. The aftertaste is a little hot but the peppercorn spreads wonderfully down the throat to leave behind a rich, dark chocolate and infinite length of perfumed black damson. A wine with balance, presence and finesse. This is a fabulous wine and deserves to be much better known by all lovers of fortified wines. 95/100. Drunk 9 May 2018.
The colour is a glorious rich red, deep and dark — not yet mature but with no sign of purple youth. The nose is very expressive with plenty of damson and roasted meat, deep and complex and begging to be tasted. And the taste is worth savouring. Smooth in texture, the wine flows across the tongue leaving a beautifully balanced spread of sweet fruit, slight dried, slightly baked and very delicious. The fruit is supported by the perfect amount of acidity which keeps the palate fresh and lively — even to the extent of adding a little peppercorn. The aftertaste is a little hot but the peppercorn spreads wonderfully down the throat to leave behind a rich, dark chocolate and infinite length of perfumed black damson. A wine with balance, presence and finesse. This is a fabulous wine and deserves to be much better known by all lovers of fortified wines. 95/100. Drunk 9 May 2018.