Douro

Quinta do Vale Meao Vintage Port 2003

I visited Porto on my first Iberian trip and its an amazing place .  Loads of history, you can just walk into most of the big name houses and do a basic tasting, fantastic people and amazing old buildings while that classic tile work.  If the food was more to my taste and there were more Portugese wines available back here, this site might be called Tinto y Brancho.  Anyway, I love port and its great to see very good affordable examples arriving.

This is one of the newer style vintage ports that show really well for about 5 years from harvest, goes into a dull phase for 10 years and comes out fresh, complex and amazing.  Its also more Burgundian, softer edges, more like a structured, powerful table wine than a big solid vintage port.  Its made from 50% Touriga National, 40% Touriga Franca and 10% Tinta Roriz.

This gets off to a ripping start with black current spice, almond, slight spirit, apple, licorice and pepper on the nose.  Deep red with a ruby edge.  In the mouth there is loads of flavour, the wine remains balanced with good acid, soft, fleshy fruit tannins with a sweet/savory thing going on.  A warming bit of alcohol reminds you that this is actually port, not a table wine.  Already a complex wine with plum, blackberry, a lick of aniseed, hot cinnamon, mocha coffee and pepper.  Amazingly approachable at this age, drink until 2008 then put it away for 10 years.  94 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $110 Closure: Conventional Cork