The nose comes on strong from the start: cherry and cranberry with some hot cinnamon and smokey, earthy rocks. Structured and textured in the mouth, velvety smooth with good length and acid. It’s quite a full on wine, full bodied but with the structure and restraint to gain and hold your interest. This wine swamps your palate with more red fruits, a bit of beef stock and plenty of minerals. Very enjoyable and an ideal intro to what the Douro can do. These guys make a stunning Vintage Port too. 91+ Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $50 Closure: Conventional Cork

Quinta do Vale Meao is the top table wine here, with Meandro de Vale Meao being the ‘entry level’ wine. What really enhances the complexity here is the different soil types on the Quinta, while it is all what would generally called schist, areas of slate, granite and alluvial gravel show very different characters in the resulting fruit. The high percentage of Touriga National (60%) also helps a lot. The remaining 40% is 20% Touriga Franca, 15% Tinta Roriz, 5% Tinta Barroca.

A really engaging nose of gun smoke, violets and wild flowers, blackberry, dark cherry and mulberry, wild herbs and hot tarmac. In the mouth it feels quite rounded at the start, gaining more more focus as it gets more air. Well textured with supple tannins, plenty of them too. Juicy and meaty, but smooth and very complex. Rocky/stoney minerals, cherry, blueberry and plum on the palate with plenty of complexity thanks to some spices, wild herbs and liquorice. An excellent wine, decant it for a bit to sharpen things up. The ageing is a question that is difficult to answer for these douro reds, they have only been around for 10 years or so, but this looks like it will improve over the short term, then go 15 years standing on it’s head. 96+ Pts.

 Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $140 Closure: Conventional Cork

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

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

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.

If you've ever had even a passing interest in Port, you will have heard of Quinta do Noval. This most be one of the most iconic Port houses going and they are now making table wine in the Douro. They have come a bit later to the game than many, but the wines are bloody good. This is the second wine and its a winner, friendly, plenty of Douro character and it doesn't break the bank. Well packaged too.

The nose starts off with something that I'm calling schisty: soot, hot rocks and earth along with some clove, sweet plum, cherry and pepper. Well balanced and smooth with supple tannins and loads of minerals on the finish. There is some great savoury fruit on the palate plums, cherries and rosella mixed in with some chocolate, pepper and minerals. Its a bit meaty, but very stylish. As is usual for Portuguese wines, acid is more of a supporting player, but here it plays its part well. An excellent addition to the growing range of Douro reds available in Australia. 91 Pts.

Source: Boccaccio Cellars Price: $44 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.quintadonoval.com

I had a bottle of this wine back in September, at the time I loved the nose but thought the palate was a bit flat. This time around I had the wine in a blind line-up of 3 bottles to see if anything had changed. This is my note and score from the tasting.

Deep red with a purple tint.  Aromas of burnt rocks, coffee, violets and plums, pepper and spice. Sars and rosella fruit(hibiscus flower). Sweet, ripe fruit with plenty of pepper.  Plum and cherry, chistmas cake spices.  Light, fluffy tannins, a lick of good acid.  Quite tight and focused, a bit pez on the finish.  91 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $35 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.quintadovallado.com

Other Vintages: 2005 

2006 is looking quite good for the Douro so far, the 2005s are undoubtedly excellent however.  A whole raft are now available or on their way in the next month or so.

Dark purple/red in colour, this one bolts out of the blocks with plum, mulberry and blueberry with pepper and meaty notes.  Lots of plush, comfy tannins and a touch of acid.  Juby fruit: plum, red currents and blueberry with a bit of cola and earthy, charry spice.  Far too easy to drink and enjoy.  89 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $28 Closure: Conventional Cork

Other vintages: 2005

Dark red and purple in the glass with intense aromas of clove, mulberry, white pepper, raisins, plums and dates.  Well textured in the mouth with a sweet/savoury thing going on.  Just the right level of sweetness and very good length.  Bursting with Christmas cake, plum, and mulberry on the palate.  This is great value, I don't think you'll find better for the money.  90 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $26 (375ml) Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.niepoort-vinhos.com

This wine is a field blend of Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and National with a dollop of Sousao.  I'm calling most of these wine from the Douro simply: Douro field blends.  It saves typing.  Most of the wine is fermented in stainless steel, with 20% in 1 to 2 year old French oak.

A great douro nose of Sarsaparilla, clove, violets, earth, old fireplace and blackberry.  Savoury and textured in the mouth, well balanced and easy to drink.  After that great nose the palate is a bit lacking, not bad just flat.  A bit of sars, smoke, pepper, red cherry and plums.  If the palate lived up to the nose, this would scoring something in the low 90s, but its worth a look regardless.  88 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $35 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.quintadovallado.com

This is the early drinker from the guys and girls and Quinta do Crasto.  Its a blend of mostly Tinta Roriz and the two Tourigas: Nacional and Franca.  That's about all the info I have a the moment, I'll update this post when I get some more info.  Regardless, this is a very handy wine to have hanging around, highly drinkable and very different flavours.  Good winter/spring drinking.

Deep red at the centre with purple towards the rim.  Starts off with sarsaparilla, sooty earth, blackberry, blueberries and baking spices.  With some more air, a kind of salty note and the spices turn into cloves.  Very nice.  In the mouth its open and inviting, there is some good texture with nice tannins.  A bit low on acid, but this increases the drinkablity.  On the palate it shows sunny plums, pepper, clove and nutmeg, cherry liqueur and cola.  Good length and some minerals on the finish.  Drink over the next couple of years.  88 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $24 Closure: Conventional Cork

Cristiano van Zeller is a fairly big name in the Port game.  He was part owner in one of the most prestigious port houses, Quinta do Noval, for many years and branched out on his own in 1993.  He started off making table wines and when the lease came up on his wife's family vineyard, Qunta do Vale Dona Maria, they quickly took over and started a reno project. 

The wine is made in a more tradition way,foot trodding in concrette lagares etc, from vines from a particular area of the vineyard.

Now this is a port that is open for business.  Wide open.  I would challenge any wine lover to stop at one glass of this stuff.  Its full of raisins, currents, plum mixed with Christmas spice, hot cinnamon and black pepper.  Smooth and luscious, the tannins give great texture and the sweetness is well balanced by the acid and not over-powering.  There are some crunchy minerals and sarsaparilla/cola that add even more interest.  Great stuff, full of character and all the flavour you want in a good Vintage Port. 93 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $105 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.valedonamaria.com