Quinta de Val da Figueira 10 yo tawny - the ultimate Cellar Defender!
Posted: 20:13 Sun 18 Apr 2021
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 Likewise, no hints of red or black fruits left, having been replaced by orange preserves, figs, and dried fruits.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.
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 Likewise, no hints of red or black fruits left, having been replaced by orange preserves, figs, and dried fruits.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.