TN: Churhill's Estates Reserva 2008 (Douro)
Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 11:13 am
Churhill's Estates Reserva 2008 - Touriga Nacional (40 %), Touriga Franca (30 %), Tinta Roriz (30 %); 14% abv; 19,49€
This was a fairly interesting recent arrival. The color is, of course, very dark and youthful. The aromas are open and very pleasurable: ripe but crunchy dark fruit, and (something I don't actually often see with Douro table wines) it is very similar in profile to Port, with some of the floral character I expect in e.g. Fonseca. The wine is aged in Barriques but IIRC only 15-20% are new, so there is no obvious oak influence which is something I am very glad of. So I can say that the scent is very pleasing and promising.
The palate is however a bit disappointing. Full bodied, soft, fruit forward. It is too round and lacking in acidity which makes this tiring to drink since I am assaulted by such massive amounts of fruit. A shame, since I enjoyed the aromas.
This was a fairly interesting recent arrival. The color is, of course, very dark and youthful. The aromas are open and very pleasurable: ripe but crunchy dark fruit, and (something I don't actually often see with Douro table wines) it is very similar in profile to Port, with some of the floral character I expect in e.g. Fonseca. The wine is aged in Barriques but IIRC only 15-20% are new, so there is no obvious oak influence which is something I am very glad of. So I can say that the scent is very pleasing and promising.
The palate is however a bit disappointing. Full bodied, soft, fruit forward. It is too round and lacking in acidity which makes this tiring to drink since I am assaulted by such massive amounts of fruit. A shame, since I enjoyed the aromas.