The owner of this quinta (Quinta do Côtto) is known a quite controversial figure, and it will be nice to taste his port. Will see...
Poured from a 375 ml bottle and decanted 10 hours before serving. Medium ruby/purple colour, and the nose was herbal with a hint of red fruit. Taste was... different. Very dry, dryest vintage port which I have ever taste. Spicy, light to medium bodied red fruits with green leaves and herbs. Fine acidity, well balanced. The aftertaste was short with medium, mouth drying tannins with only a hint of alcohol.
Well, if the owner is controversial, so does this port. The philosophy behind this port is definitely different, I guess that they are looking for a new target groups beyond casual port drinkers who might like this kind of dryer and lighter style of port. To me, as an old-schooler who loves fruity & tannic heavyweight champions this kind of light welterweight challenger is far too off the mark...
88 points.
2001 Champalimaud Vintage Port
Moderators: Glenn E., Andy Velebil
2001 Champalimaud Vintage Port
-Nevski-
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Otto Nieminen
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- Location: Helsinki, Finland
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Antti, thanks for the TN! Having tasted with you (are you going to write up the TNs on this board BTW?), I might just imagine from the descriptors that I would enjoy this a great deal more than you did? I've usually preferred a drier style of port than you, so I guess I'll have to buy a bottle to try out myself! :)
Go ahead and try it! 8) -
Otto Nieminen
- Posts: 366
- Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 2:48 am
- Location: Helsinki, Finland
- Contact:
-
Otto Nieminen
- Posts: 366
- Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 2:48 am
- Location: Helsinki, Finland
- Contact:
Well, I finally got around to trying the Champalimaud 2001! I decanted it this morning at 7:00 before going to work. It was already surprisingly nice then, with no alcohol showing through on the nose (it's 19,5% abv, BTW). I've just returned from work and took a tiny glass (I'm going jogging in a minute so don't want to take more than a sip or two...):
Controversial though the producer is, I'll have to say that going by what is in the glass, this is just my type of Port. There is admirable depth to the nose, still no alcohol, delightfully savoury despite the Fonseca-like blue toned fruit (I didn't so much see red fruit like Nevski did, but what could be more personal than the colour of the fruit we taste?).
The palate is of the drier sort which I tend to prefer (Dow is usually a favourite of mine...), there is no alcohol showing despite it having been decanted "only" 9 hours by now. It is rather tannic, though, with nice fruit despite it being drier than usual. Like on the nose, what really won me over was the savoury, earthy notes to the fruit. Like Nevski, I didn't think the aftertaste was very long, but it was certainly long enough and there was a touch of minerality creeping in - and that is something that I rarely find in Ports - and it was delightfully fresh.
Ok, this is a long and boring report, but though this isn't the most complex Port and seemingly it won't last for long either, the nuances of the flavours were very much to my liking. A very personal wine for sure. At the c.16€ for a half that it costs here, I'll be buying quite a few to drink soon. Maybe I'll cellar a few, but frankly I don't see this gaining much except in the mid-term.
Who else makes this sort of savoury, drier Port? Dow often does and apparently Champalimaud. Anyone else?
-Otto-
Controversial though the producer is, I'll have to say that going by what is in the glass, this is just my type of Port. There is admirable depth to the nose, still no alcohol, delightfully savoury despite the Fonseca-like blue toned fruit (I didn't so much see red fruit like Nevski did, but what could be more personal than the colour of the fruit we taste?).
The palate is of the drier sort which I tend to prefer (Dow is usually a favourite of mine...), there is no alcohol showing despite it having been decanted "only" 9 hours by now. It is rather tannic, though, with nice fruit despite it being drier than usual. Like on the nose, what really won me over was the savoury, earthy notes to the fruit. Like Nevski, I didn't think the aftertaste was very long, but it was certainly long enough and there was a touch of minerality creeping in - and that is something that I rarely find in Ports - and it was delightfully fresh.
Ok, this is a long and boring report, but though this isn't the most complex Port and seemingly it won't last for long either, the nuances of the flavours were very much to my liking. A very personal wine for sure. At the c.16€ for a half that it costs here, I'll be buying quite a few to drink soon. Maybe I'll cellar a few, but frankly I don't see this gaining much except in the mid-term.
Who else makes this sort of savoury, drier Port? Dow often does and apparently Champalimaud. Anyone else?
-Otto-
