I rather like Q do Crasto's ports, but I did find the table wines a bit too much. But I do confess to being an oakophobe - but I understand fully that those who aren't repulsed by a touch of oak will find these very good!Douro Red 2004
A warm scent of red berries, some tobacco, manages to be both confected and savoury at the same time! The palate is juicy. Rather simple and spoofulated*.
Douro Reserva Old Vines 2003
Ouch! The wine hit me on the nose with a plank of wood! Some savoury hints going on underneath the Amazon. The palate is quite a bit better: oaky certainly, but not so badly spoofulated as the scent, with fine structure from both tannins and acids and fair length. But why, oh why must a whole forest be used?
Touriga Nacional 2003
Oak, oak, oak, oak, oak. Anything else? Well, a bit of vanilla and chocolate (i.e. oak derived scents!). Well, once again the palate surprises by being savoury, dry and not too badly over-oaked. How is it that these wines so monolithically oaky on the nose, yet relatively fine on the palate?
Vinha Maria Teresa 2003
Made from c 90 YO vines, and the vines are so old that it isn't even known what grapes they are. The nose, though certainly oaky, isn't as overdone as the previous wines. It is a big wine, more fruit forward than savoury, but with enough tanginess to keep up my interest. The palate is big, extracted, but with decent amounts earth, tobacco and general savouryness. I was impressed - from a certain paradigm of taste this is a supremely good wine - but not impressed enough to purchase a bottle, though.
* Spoofulated is a Therapeutic term defined thus:
"--bigger is usually better;
--smoothness is the ultimate ideal for all wine;
--lower yields and longer hangtime must equal better flavor, without exception;
--prunes and raisins are desirable fruit flavors;
--acidity is overrated;
--any flavor not related to fruit or oak is probably better avoided."
Otto
