It’s a blend of Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Jaen (Mencia) and Tinta Roriz that sees 6 months in old wood before being bottled.

The nose starts off with a gamey meat smell, followed up with some plums and black cherries, subtle spice and an old campfire note. The palate has the goods however, smooth and focused with some sandy tannins on the finish. It’s very complex and I feel like my palate is pulled from one side to the other at times. It’s very dry and a bit wild, more notes of plum and dark fruits with strong wild sage character, a touch of chocolate and liqorice. It’s not something I’d want to drink a lot of on it’s own, but with a spicy sausage pasta it was a treat. 87+ Pts

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $33 Closure: Conventional Cork

The nose kicks things off well with aromas of peach, lemon, pineapple with a hit of apricot and grapefruit.  It’s lightly textured with some spritzy/minerally acid and big ‘ol finish.  Lively on the palate with plenty of tropical fruit with a bit of peach and apricot. Everything is in balance, nice and savoury with some sweet fruit.  A fun drink that you could take seriously if you wanted to. I’m buying a bunch of this for summer drinking in the backyard with some BBQ’d fish. 89 Pts

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $25 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.quintadoameal.com

Other Vintages: 2005

The tasting was led by Aymeric de Gironde, the International Sales Director for Axa Millismes, who did a great job of bridging the gap between a straight forward lecture about a grand old port house and giving a sence of the place and the people that live and work there. There was enough information to start a profile on the Qunita, so I won’t bore you with all the gritty details right now. It should be up on the site in the next couple of weeks.

We ran through the table wines, then the tawnies followed by the vintage ports. A fairly big range, but I could see the quality from the cheapest tawny through to the top end table wine.

Table wines:

Maria Mansa 2003: This wine was Noval’s first commercial attempt at a Douro table wine and its a good drink. It’s mainly a blend of the two torigas. Shisty and earthy on the nose with beetroot, plum and cherry. In the mouth it’s medium boddied and fairly straight forward but enjoyable with blueberry, cherry and plum with some pepper/hot cinnamon. 88 Pts. $33

Cedro de Noval 2005: This is named after a big old cedar that provides some shade in the courtyard at the Quinta. This is a blend of mostly syrah with the torigas and some Tinta Cao making up the balance. Flinty, shisty nose with cherry, plum and mulberry with herby undergrowth. In the mouth, it’s bright and fresh, well balanced and stylish. Silky, fine tannins frame the fruit with a bit of tar and mint. Minerals show throughout, but mostly on the finish. 91 Pts. $44

Quita do Noval 2005: This is the flagship table wine, and for the price it is excellent value. I don’t expect this to last for ever however as the prices of the top level Douro wines are heading north. This is similar in many respects to the Cedro, however the minerality and finesse are taken up a couple of notches. Gunsmoke and hot rocks on the nose with perfectly ripe plum, red cherry and blueberry.  The fruit is really expressive and the fleshy, soft tannins deliver a lush texture. At the same time, it has a backbone of acid that I think will allow it to age for quite some time. Excellent stuff. 95 Pts. $141

Port Wines

Quinta do Noval Tawny: this is the basic tawny which uses fruit from Class A growers and is made in an auto lagar. Toffee and raisin mixed in with some plum and spirit on the nose. In the mouth its tangy cherry and plum with hot cinnamon and a touch of clove. Fresh and fruity. 87 Pts. $35

Quinta do Noval 10 year old Tawny: Spirity raisins with Christmas cakes spices and mixed nuts. The palate is a bit rum and raisin with plum, rosewater and more nuts. Fresh and full of life. 90 Pts. $79

Quinta do Noval 20 year old Tawny: Smokey and nutty, with soft spirit, light raisins, old wood and an almost salty note on the nose. Very complex on the plate with layers of flavours: rose, raisins and currants, roasted walnuts, smoke and clove. Driving spirit and fairly dry too. Excellent drinking. 93 Pts.

Quita do Noval Colheita 1995: The nose on this wasn’t really giving up too much, some old wood, something a bit floral and raisins. But on the palate it explodes with vitality and fresh cherry and raisins. There is more acid here, but there is also plenty of sweetness to provide balance. Very long finish with a touch of warmth. 90 Pts. $95

Quinta do Noval LBV 2003: Plenty of fruit on the nose here: plum and dark cherry with clove and anise. This really is like a baby VP in character with plum, cherry and rosella fruit with liquorice and clove. Meaty and dense this is a ripping LBV for drinking now. 92 Pts.

Quinta do Noval ‘Sival’ Vintage Port 2005: This is made from a leased Quinta called Sival. The style here is for a lighter and earlier drinking style of vintage port than the traditional vintage from Noval. Nice juicy fruit, rosella and cherry for the most part, there is a bit of plum in there too. Anise and earthy herbs add some complexity. It’s quite brooding at the moment, but highly drinkable. 89-90 Pts. $95

Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2004: This is the stuff. Its quite grapey and raisiny with plum and dark cherry, a little blackberry too. In the palate the first thing that hits me is the lush tannins, followed by some excellent fruit that shows perfect ripeness. More dark fruits, shot with minerals and earthy goodness. Very early in it’s life, this should grow to be a classic. 93 Pts.

Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2003: If I thought the 2004 was good, this takes things to a different level. The nose is fully of classic douro notes: smoke and hot rocks, gun smoke and clove. Intense blackberry, dark cherry and rosella. The tannins are fleshy and ripe which give the wine luxury texture. This has all bases covered and will live a very long, full life. 97 Pts. $185

Quinta do Noval Nacional 1967: It may be the only time I ever taste this wine, so I jumped at the offer of a refill when it was offered. Old coffee beans and smoke with quality cigar tobacco, lifted up by some dried currants, varnish and some floral notes. Amazingly complex in the mouth too, layers of flavour, some grape notes, anise, raisins and old leather.  Excellent mouthfeel and the length here is amazing. The only way to describe this is: Wow. 95 Pts.

Quinta do Noval Nacional 2000: I was thinking that I would be in for a bit of a struggle here, 8 year old vintage port is generally closed down and hard going. But this was so very open and drinking like the 99 point wine that it clearly is. I was supprised that this was my favourite wine of the tasting, thinking the 67 would surely be. The nose is dense and floral with bright fruit and overwhelming sense of welcoming. Seductive and fleshy in the mouth, the wine seems delicate and light but has deep intensity, integrity and complexity. If there is a port you should have an epiphany with, this is it. If you don’t get the port bug from this wine, you don’t like port. 99 Pts.

The focus is on quality wines at affordable prices, I found plenty to like here and there some real stand out wines from Ribera del Douro in the range. Here’s what I thought on the night:

DO Cava

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva NV ($13.99) - Bready and apply, quite fresh and refreshing. Looking quite good at the moment 86 Pts.

Segura Viudas Brut Rosado NV ($13.99) - Not sweet at all, dusty strawberry, quite pretty and light with something a bit herbal on the mid palate. 86 Pts

Segura Viudas Brut 2002 ($19.99) - The standout in this bracket, yeasty and nutty on the nose, cider apples and less character. Blanced fizz and acidity with plenty of length. 88 Pts.

Segura Viudas Semi-Seco NV ($13.99) - An off-dry style, sugared backed apples, a bit dusty but quite fresh. Mildly sweet. A bit simple and fruity with a clean finish. 85 Pts.

DO Rueda

Con Class Vendemia Excepcional 2007 ($17.99) - Grassy with passionfruit and a sweaty note (in a good way) on the nose. Nice and fleshy in the mouth, pear and apple. Plenty to like here. 87 Pts.

Con Class Verdejo 2007 ($11.99)- Fresh with plenty of fennel and pear on the nose, dusty and tangy. As I’ve said before, great for the cash. 88 Pts.

DO Rias Baixas 2006 ($16.99) - I didn’t take a note on this one, but still looking very good as per my note here.

DO Jerez-Sherry

Osborne Manzailla NV ($19.99) - Fairly classic manzilla notes of apples, sea spray, almonds and flor. There is something herbal on the mid palate that’s a bit odd at first but very enjoyable after that. 88 Pts.

DOCa Rioja

Aradon Joven 2006 ($9.99) - Juicy and fresh with bright cherry and blueberry. Earthy cherry and plum on palate with a clean long finish. A bargain at this price. 87 Pts.

Cosme Palacio Cosecha 2005 ($20.99) - Modern with lush fruit, plenty of cherry and plum with firm tannins and a touch of oak influcence. Solid wine. 88 Pts.

Glorioso Crianza 2004 ($17.99) - Here is a classic Crianza at a great price. A lovely nose of violets, plum and cherry on the nose with a bit of pencil shavings and earth. Traditional character with plenty of fruit. 89-90 Pts.

Glorioso Reserva 2003 ($27.99) - Subtle on the nose with some earthy cherry, plum and spice. The palate shows good fruit with some spice and slight coco. 88+ Pts.

Glorioso Gran Reserva 1999 ($45.99) - Surprisingly to me this was a crowd pleaser, normally people go striaght to the crianza or modern wines. Classic oak aged nosed of pencil shavings, mint/pine resin, strawberry and cherry with clove, nutmeg and cinnamon. A bit flabby in the middle, but some fine grained tannins and a very long finish. 90 Pts.

Bodegas Palacio Reserva Especial 2001($49.99) - A modern styled Super Reserva. Dark chocolate, espresso and ceadery oak over some dark cherry and plum fruit. The oak treatment is a little hamfisted, but there is some great fruit under there. I’m not sure if it’s in an odd place or just over oaked. 87 Pts.

DO Navara

Tandem Ars ‘In Virto’ Merlot Tempranillo 2005 ($14.99) - This opened up a bit reductive, but this blew off to show some chewy plums and cherry, nice chunky tannins and a generally soft friendly wine. A bit of sweetness in the mid palate, but it pulls it off. 87 Pts.

Tandem Ars ‘Nova’ Tempranillo Cabernet 2004 ($22.99) - Plenty of fruit here, but it’s earthy and savoury blue and red fruits. A bit juicy with nice fine tannins. 89 Pts.

Tandem Ars ‘Macula’ Cabernet Merlot 2004 ($32.99) - Soft, dry and plenty of flesh fruit tannin here. Nice plum and blackcurrant with some earthy herbs, but it doesn’t really grab me. 87 Pts.

DO Ribero del Duero

Vina Mayor Tinto Roble 2005 ($17.99) - A very well done roble with classic animale, cherry and blackberry with some herby bramble. Plenty of flesh tannins and well balanced acidity. 88+ Pts

Tabula Damana 2004 ($34.99) - These two next wines were the stand out of the tasting. This is all red cherry and mocha with some lavender and sage. Excellent mouth feel thanks to some refined tannins. Great length and character. Lots to like here and will cellar very well. 91+ Pts.

Tabula 2004 ($66.99) - Toasty oak over the top of blackberry and black currant with some violets. Juicy, meaty fruit with a shovel load of soft fruit tannins. Earthy and savoury with a core of perfectly ripe blue and black fruits. 93 Pts.

DO Priorat

Cims de Porrera ‘Solanes’ 2003 ($32.99) - An old standard that is back in Australia. pepper and spice, a little funky but very appealing. Nice plumy fruit with some pepper earth and herby bramble.

Portugal

Vinho de Mesa Rose NV ($8.49) - A little cheesy, but there are some fresh strawberry and raspberry notes. A bit too sweet for my tastes, but finishes nicely with some strawberry candy. 81 Pts.

DO Estremadura

Pink Elephant Rose ($11.99) - Musky, sweet strawberry with a good acid back bone, more in the winey style of rose. Designed for food and would be great with something spicy. 85 Pts.

DO Alenquer

Quinta das Setencostas 2005 ($14.99) - Fresh and spicy, savoury plums and blueberry. Plenty of texture and a lick of acid to keep things moving, a bit of mid palate sweetness that I’m not that keen on. 86 Pts.

DOC Porto

Taylors 10 Year Old Tawny Port ($49.99) - Nice aged characters on the nose, raisins and clove with a light sprinkle of mixed nuts. Very long finish with good integration of spirit. 90 Pts.

Taylors LBV Port ($39.99) - I didn’t catch the vintage on this, but will chase it up. Plum and cherry fruit with clove and nutmeg, a bit of hot cinnamon. Fleshy and well structured with plenty of vintage character. 88 Pts.

These mid-priced Douro seem to be were it’s at, I think you get the best expression for the price at around $40-60, with good value at the low end. The top end wines, while outstanding, are starting to get up there in price ($170 for the Meao top bottling, the new Vallado super deluxe job will come in over $300 here if it’s imported). It’s not that they aren’t great wines…

That classic sooty, rocky shist note kicks things off on the  nose followed by some juicy plum, blueberry and cherry with a bit a clove pepper. The acid level is quite high for a Douro red and gives a good balance to the meaty, flesh tannins. Savoury and flavour packed on the palate: plums and cherry, with a touch of rosella with subtle christmas cake spices and a mineral crunch. A generous long finish. Very moreish in this cold weather. 91 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $55  Closure: Conventional Cork

Last week I dropped into the Spanish Acquisition HQ for a bit of Jamon and ended up tasting a whole heap of stuff including a selection of wines from Alvaro Castro from the Dão region in Portugal. This lot are not currently being imported, but I’m sure it won’t be long before we’ll be seeing a few of these around town. The wines were served up single blind (we knew they were Alvaro Castro’s wines, but not which ones). I don’t have a lot of info on these wines or the region, but Jamie Goodie has a good overview of the region, including a bit on Alvaro Castro and his vineyards. Overall, I’d summarise the wines as very elegant and balanced, at the same time there is plenty of fruit too.

Primus 2006 – The only white in the line up from Alvaro today. Apples and pears, saturated by banana. Pleasant enough with a long finish, but too much banana for me. 87 Pts.

Dão Reserva 2005 - An enticing nose with subtle spice with some dark fruits and violets. A brooding kind of wine, deep and intense with fine balance and plenty of quality fruit. 91 Pts.

Dão Reserva 2005 - Something odd with this bottle, no notes.

Quinta du Pelleda Vinha da Serra 2006 - Cherry and blackberry, Christmas cake spices, vanilla oak and a bit of game. Tight and structured in the mouth, but very enjoyable. A healthy dose of tannins too. 90 Pts.

Pelada 2003 - Here we go, showing a bit of age but its still quite intense. Blackberry, beetroot and blueberry with woody spice and some great acid that really livens up this wine. 92 Pts.

Carrocel 2006 - This seemed like a younger version of the Pelada with a bit of mint and more obvious oak. Juicy and mouth coating, but I’m sure it will all integrate in a couple of years. 92 Pts.

I also had a look at some of Alvaro Castro’s wines from the nearby Dao region last week, I should have some notes up by the end of the week.

A bit deeper in colour than the Pan. A gorgeous nose of raspberry, violets, a bit earthy undergrowth, cinnamon, nutmeg and smoked paprika. Luxury mouth feel, with a touch of grip and just the right amount of acid. The palate is a bit minty, and shows more raspberry with some mulberry, plum and cola. Intense and concentrated with a very long finish. An intriguing wine that will be a pleasure to drink over the next 20 years. 93+ Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $100 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.luispato.com

Other Vintages: 2003

Every thing about this wine is medium: medium red in colour and medium bodied. All this mediumness is refreshing after a couple of block busters of late. The nose is a bit funky and earthy with some lovely cherry and raspberry with some bay leaf and pine resin/eucalyptus. Excellent balance and intensity with earthy and minerally raspberry flavours and driving acid. Textured thanks to some fine grained tannins and a very long finish. Drinking great now, but it will improve in the cellar over the long term, the 95 is drinking like a champ at the moment. 93+ Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $100 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.luispato.com

Other Vintages: 2003

After a week off from drinking, I thought I’d ease myself back into tasting with a bottle of port and some blue cheese on Sunday afternoon. The cheese is Valdeon, made in the Picos de Europa areas of Léon and Asturias from mostly cows milk, with a little bit of goat for tang. It’s fairly punchy, but still quite creamy. It goes well with the quince paste and port, so I’m a happy chap.

One thing I’ve noticed around town is how much the price of these imported cheeses vary a lot. I buy most of my Spanish stuff from Casa Iberica (25 Johnston Street, Fitzroy, (03) 9419 4420) and just about everything is half the price of the ‘gourmet’ stores around Melbourne (i.e. Valdeon is $38/kilo at Casa Iberica and $70 from the Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder cheese club).

Very dark in the glass with aromas of clove, pepper, nutmeg, dark cherry and plum with a bit of shisty rock. Dense and intense in the mouth, a mix of sweet and savoury that I pick up in a lot of Niepoort’s wines. The palate shows more dark cherry, rosella and plum with Dr. Pepper, christmas cake spices and a touch of chinoto on the finish. I think this may need some chill out time in the cellar (it’s not filtered, so it will improve) to show its best. 88+ Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $48 (750ml) Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.niepoort-vinhos.com

Browsing through their website I noticed that they don’t make a lot of this wine, just 9,400 bottles of the 03 were made. I think I will need a six pack for the cellar, hopefully there is enough to go around.

A smooth, exotic nose of plum, dark cherry, star anise, rosella, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg with a hint of spirit in the background. The palate is open with Class A, Export Quality tannins the provide a luxurious mouth feel. Some mild sweetness and some acid to back it all up. Warm blackcurrant, plum and cherry fruit with cola and more star anise. Very minerally. The finish is very generous and leaves the taste of Christmas cake spices and plum pudding in the mouth. This is very enjoyable now, and had me reaching for a second glass every time. Drink over the next 2 years, then cellar for 10 after that. 93 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $115 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.valedonamaria.com

However, the the chaps at Niepoort have decided to use very large wooden vats for their ruby port. So this wine gets a bit of oxygen contact, but still retains a very deep red colour. It stays in the vats for about 3 years, then into bottle and then its off around the world.

Its starts of with a nose of spirity blackberry and dark cherry and adds some Christmas cake spices and nuts. In the mouth it’s smooth and quite long with a hit of quality spirit. Loads of dark cherry on the palate with some blackberry and blackcurrant, more spices and a touch of minerals. Plenty to like hear, and very cheap for what it is. 88 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $30 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.niepoort-vinhos.com

This LBV is made from Tinta Amarela, Rufete, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesa, Touriga Nacional, and Sousão. The fruit is crushed by trodding in the traditional lagares. Then into old woodern vats for 4 years until it’s bottled. This wine is not filtered and will have a bit of a crust. So decant if that bothers you. This gets a bit better if you leave it open for a few days too.

Lovely nose of walnut and clove with some plum and cherry pie, notes of fine spirit. Smooth with some grippy tannins in the mouth, restrained sweetness, good integration of fruit and spirit and a very long finish. The palate is all class: sweet plums and blackberry, pepper and cinnamon, liquorice and chinotto. A good way to kick off the port drinking season without blowing the budget. 91 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $36 (375ml) Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.valedonamaria.com

So after a quick bit of bread and a glass of water, I’m on to the Portuguese table wines, as well as a couple of ports. This is the best showing of Portuguese wines I’ve seen in Australia and the quality here is unmistakable. Every wine here was high quality, showed great personality and I’d love to have all of them in my cellar.

Luis Pato Vinha Pan 2005 - A funky nose (in a good way) with cherry, blueberry and raspberry some bay leaf and pine/eucalyptus notes. Medium bodied with excellent balance but intense raspberry flavours, fine grained tannins and a very long finish. I rate this highly.

Luis Pato Vinha Barrosa 2005 - More spicy and less herby than the Pan, also a more meaty. Showing great raspberry fruit characters in the mouth but still very savoury. The balance here is superb, everything is just right.

Alvaro Castro Pepe 2005 -A great nose of red and blue fruits with a bit of funky barnyard, mocha and a touch of clove and cinnamon. Nice and clean in the mouth with tangy raspberry , a bit of smoke and minerals. Quite grippy.

Quinta do Crasto Reserva 2005 - Quite smoky on the nose with some typical rocky, sooty earth notes over the top of some plum, raspberry and blueberry fruit. Fleshy and spicy in the mouth, plenty of fruit here with big soft fruit tannins.

Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional 2005 - Perfumed nose of violets and christmas cake spices, a touch of mint for good measure over some plums, blueberries and cherries. Tannins are quite amazing. Very interesting wine.

Valle D. Maria Douro 2005 - This is a real step up, and that’s saying something in this line up. Mint, clove and quality small goods on the nose with some lovely fruit. Good acid level, some fleshy tannins giving plenty of texture and interest. Quite meaty and juicy. Goes on forever. Excellent stuff.

Meandro de Meao 2005 - Beautiful nose of sweet fruit: cherry, plum and currents with xmas cakes spice. Complex and inviting in the mouth with more of that great fruit and spice with some added liquorice and earthy/mineraly rocks notes.

Meao Douro 2005 - The big daddy of the Portuguese wines at this tasting. The nose is intense and complex: menthol, clove, soot, brambly undergrowth, plum, cherry, blueberry. The palate is All class too, intense and complex but open business. Quality tannins and super balance. Looks like it will live for ever too.

Quinta do Valle D. Maria LBV 2003 - Excellent QPR here, subtle raisin and prune with clove and rosella jam. Very smooth and balanced, good integration of spirit and fruit.

Quinta do Valle D. Maria VP 2005 - This makes those big blockbuster Aussie table wines look even more porty. Elegant and so highly drinkable. The nose offers up ripe fruit (my notes say pomegranate and rosella, but not sure on those) with subtle clove and other spices. Its quite minerally too. Smooth as a baby’s….

Niepoort VP 2005 - This is a step up in complexity and depth from the last one. Intensely flavoured and structured. Its a bit more aggressive in structure, but shows really well right now. One to put in the cellar by the case if you’re a port fan.

I spent saturday diving in and out of air condition spaces, hopefully we'll get some relief later this week. I dropped over to a mate's place for long overdue catchup on Saturday night. Thankfully he has air con, so it was quite comfortable to sit back with a couple of reds. I have a stack of good wines on the way (Mostly 05s: Clos Mogador, Numanthia, Flor de Pingus, with Roda 04s being released soon too), but I won't get the them until after Easter I think, its just too hot. Anyway this went down well.

A fairly straight forward, but quality Douro red, aromas of plum, mulberry and cherry with pepper and clove.  Warm and inviting in the mouth, a bit rustic with big, soft tannins and a lick of acid on the finish.  The palate is more toward the plum end of things, but also shows cherry and mulberry with some earth and clove.  Very enjoyable, it would do well with a good lamb dish. 88 Pts.

I took some notes of course, so here are some quick and dirty notes on the stuff I haven't already written up:

Agapito Rico Carchelo Monastrell 2006:  Warm inviting nose of cherry, plum and nutmeg and a bit of barnyard action. A touch of sweetness in the mouth, cherry, Rosella, pepper and clove. Good price too 87 Pts.

Dehesa la Granja 2001: Looking a bit better than my last look. 88 Pts.

Quinta do Noval 2004: This is the top end Douro table wine from Noval, and its a beauty. A tight nose of cherry, plum, clove, shist and some violets. Mouthfilling and very complex on the palate with sarsparilla, clove, plums, mulberry and pepper. I'm going with a 93+ on this tasting but I'm sure it would a bit better with more air.

Quinta do Noval Tawny: Real quality here, raspberries and a bit appley on the nose. I don't drink enough tawny to have a reference point, but I like it.

Quinta do Noval Silval Vintage Port 2005: This is looking great, fairly classic VP with plums, dark cherries and rosella jam, spicey pepper, clove and nutmeg. 91 Pts.