Andy
Kyle Meyer and Tristen Beamon, Proprietors, BestWinesOnline.comTo all Best Winers,
You may be surprised when I tell you about one of the year’s biggest wine stories.
It’s not the bummer 2013 Bordeaux harvest
It’s not the bumper 2012 California harvest
It’s not the 2010 Barolo and Barbaresco wines from Piedmont.
Though they are certainly relevant stories one and all.
Instead, perhaps the most exciting wine story of the year takes us to…Portugal. Yes, Portugal.
Now some of you are thinking, “Hey, the 2011 Ports were last year.” And you’d be right, they were, and they were very topical. It is one of the greatest vintages ever in the north of Portugal.
Which is the perfect lead-in to this year’s story, Portugal’s 2011 Dry Reds.
The 2011 vintage for Portugal’s red wines, especially those from the Douro Valley (Port country), is the finest this fledgling red wine region has ever witnessed. If you thought the ports were awesome, wait until you try these compelling, powerful, yet poignantly fresh reds from these astounding vineyards.
We always wondered when Portugal would get its act together. There were too many great old vineyards, too much warm weather, and too much history, NOT to make some spectacular red wine. But, quite honestly, we’ve been shocked at the painfully slow progress Portugal has made over the last two decades.
It seems the country was stuck in molasses (no dessert wine pun intended) when it came to making relevant red wine. But 2011 has changed that…big time.
We’re featuring something on the low end as well as something on the high end today from two of Portugal’s top red wine producers. Both of these wines amazed us.
First, there’s the extraordinary Churchill’s Douro Churchill's Estates 2011. I’m drinking it now. Deep red/purple to its core, this is a shockingly good, shockingly powerful, yet shockingly refined wine for the price charged. It has all the deep berry components, all the florality, all the richness, all the intensity that I tasted in the finest vintage ports from 2011, expect this wine is bone dry.
I’d say it’s thrilling. How’s that? Thrilling. It fits. I’m thrilled to drink it. Especially for $14!
About 30% of the wine is aged for 12 months in both new and old French oak casks; the remaining part is kept in stainless steel vats to maintain its fruity character combined with the oak complexity from the wines in casks. It’s composed of 40% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca and 30% Tinta Roriz, all three of these grapes are indigenous to the Douro and the core of their vintage port program.
We scoffed at the huge 93 point score from Wine Spectator until we tasted it. Not scoffing now. It’s that good.
Next we’re showing off a Douro ‘big dog’, the Quinta Do Vallado Douro Reserva 2011. This wine is a classic ‘field blend’ of multiple grape varieties. In the old days, it was pretty typical for the farmers here to plant many different vines in the vineyard to protect against problems at harvest with one type of grape or another. It was insurance, with the bonus of added complexity to the finished wine, much like the old vine field blends in Sonoma County.
This wine is 70% from Vallado’s 80+ year-old vines (more than 20 grape varieties all mixed) with Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela and Touriga Franca leading the way, with 30% coming from 15+ year old Touriga Nacional and Sousao vines.
We’ll cut to the chase. This is one of Portugal’s most revered wines. It’s brilliant in most vintages and, in 2011, it’s, like, super-brilliant! A must-have for even the most serious collectors.
A monster 96 point score from Wine Spectator here, who noted it was, “Sinewy yet refined, with impressive power behind the firm, crisp flavors of dark plum, olive and boysenberry, matched to notes of tarragon. Presents focused minerality midpalate, offering a long, vibrant finish of dried wild herb and slate.”
That sounds pretty damn interesting to me!
Actually, both of these wines have a more than good shot at ending up on the Spectator’s Top 100 list at the end of the year. Maybe even the Top 10? We’ll see…
In the meantime, catch this first wave of 2011 Portuguese dandies while they last. The staff is getting thirsty…
Churchill's Estates Douro 2011
93 Points! A meaty, rich and brooding red, offering plenty of mocha notes to the dark plum, dried blackberry and baker's chocolate flavors. Presents accents of smoked paprika midpalate, featuring a finish filled with restrained tannins. Drink now through 2020. 750 cases imported. Kim Marcus, Wine Spectator Magazine, May 31, 2014
Only $13.98
Quinta Do Vallado Douro Reserva 2011
96 Points! Sinewy yet refined, with impressive power behind the firm, crisp flavors of dark plum, olive and boysenberry, matched to notes of tarragon. Presents focused minerality midpalate, offering a long, vibrant finish of dried wild herb and slate.- Wne Spectator
Only $54.98
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