Quinta de Val da Figueira 10 yo tawny - the ultimate Cellar Defender!

Anything to do with Port.
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MigSU
Warre’s Otima 10 year old Tawny
Posts: 634
Joined: 13:22 Wed 17 Feb 2021
Location: Douro Valley

Quinta de Val da Figueira 10 yo tawny - the ultimate Cellar Defender!

Post by MigSU »

Was digging around the basement of my current home (a 5 generation hand-me-down) and found 12 cases (72 bottles) of a Quinta de Val da Figueira 10 yo tawny, bottled in 2003.
Due to the bottling date (and my own implicit bias against 10 yo tawnies) my expectations were very low.

I must therefore declare my complete surprise when, upon opening one of the bottles after a small luncheon at a cousin's winery, the wine was not only perfectly drinkable but actually quite good.
In a blind tasting it could pass for a 20 yo or a nice colheita, no problem. The colour is nowhere near the colour of a 'modern' 10 yo - there are no hints of red in it, it's fully in the realm of the yellows and the goldens. Likewise, no hints of red or black fruits left, having been replaced by orange preserves, figs, and dried fruits.

The bottles have developed quite a hefty deposit, which means light or no filtration upon bottling. This has probably contributed to the wine's (more than) healthy condition.

All in all, what was at first a 'meh' find turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise. I'll probably still offload the majority of them, but at least I'll be able to keep several of them and know that I have a very tasty cellar defender keeping watch over my wine cabinets.


Oh, I also found a case each of a dry white, an extra dry white, a 1997 vintage, and a 2000 vintage, all from the same brand, but I haven't tasted any of them yet.
Last edited by MigSU on 22:28 Sun 18 Apr 2021, edited 1 time in total.
MigSU
Warre’s Otima 10 year old Tawny
Posts: 634
Joined: 13:22 Wed 17 Feb 2021
Location: Douro Valley

Re: Quinta de Val da Figueira 10 yo tawny - the ultimate Cellar Defender!

Post by MigSU »

I forgot to take a picture of the wine in the glass (yes, I was enjoying it that much), but here's a picture of the label.


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winesecretary
Fonseca 1980
Posts: 1900
Joined: 15:35 Mon 13 May 2019

Re: Quinta de Val da Figueira 10 yo tawny - the ultimate Cellar Defender!

Post by winesecretary »

What a serendipitous find. Hurrah for houses, and cellars, that pass from generation to generation!

Given the colour, do you think that the contents are rather older than 10 years, but simply bottled as such?
MigSU
Warre’s Otima 10 year old Tawny
Posts: 634
Joined: 13:22 Wed 17 Feb 2021
Location: Douro Valley

Re: Quinta de Val da Figueira 10 yo tawny - the ultimate Cellar Defender!

Post by MigSU »

winesecretary wrote: 21:58 Sun 18 Apr 2021 What a serendipitous find. Hurrah for houses, and cellars, that pass from generation to generation!

Given the colour, do you think that the contents are rather older than 10 years, but simply bottled as such?
Quite possibly. Or better yet: maybe it's a real 10 yo, and the 10 yo we now see on the market are more like.....5 or 6 yo?
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JacobH
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
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Re: Quinta de Val da Figueira 10 yo tawny - the ultimate Cellar Defender!

Post by JacobH »

I had a freshly bottled bottle of this last year, which I bought mostly as a novelty since it had been shipped to the UK by sail by Port O’Bristol by Xisto and I was also very impressed. I can see that I wrote it was “an excellent 10 year old tawny that tastes much older than it is” which rather accords with your experience. I keep meaning to buy some more, especially since I rather like the chaps running Port O’Bristol.

It’s quite an unusual wine to end up with 12 cases of, though! Does your family have any connection to the Quinta?
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MigSU
Warre’s Otima 10 year old Tawny
Posts: 634
Joined: 13:22 Wed 17 Feb 2021
Location: Douro Valley

Re: Quinta de Val da Figueira 10 yo tawny - the ultimate Cellar Defender!

Post by MigSU »

JacobH wrote: 08:19 Mon 19 Apr 2021 I had a freshly bottled bottle of this last year, which I bought mostly as a novelty since it had been shipped to the UK by sail by Port O’Bristol by Xisto and I was also very impressed. I can see that I wrote it was “an excellent 10 year old tawny that tastes much older than it is” which rather accords with your experience. I keep meaning to buy some more, especially since I rather like the chaps running Port O’Bristol.

It’s quite an unusual wine to end up with 12 cases of, though! Does your family have any connection to the Quinta?
Indeed, my grandmother and some of my relatives of her age were good friends with Alfredo Calém and his wife Jean. We all spent holidays in the same place (Moledo do Minho).
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