The Wines of This Week's Tasting:
More Value Wines - Smooth, Suave Portuguese Whites and Reds
April 15, 2026
White
2024 Cas'Amaro Busatelo, Vinho Verde
In the past wines from Vinho Verde were thin, light, and inexpressive. Its new generation are more serious wines that give fuller, more individual, palate-satisfying expressions. The Bustelo estate gives very good quality at a very reasonable price. This could be a daily warm-weather sipping wine.
Aroma: fresh and mineral floral, intense, pretty, savory; Mouth: fleshy and bright clean, intense savory ripe and full, lemony finish; Very Good Plus $19.95; Case, $16.95
2021 Cas'Amaro Pio Lisboa
This lightly oaked wine from the premium Arinto grape, grown in the coastal Lisboa region, instantly struck us with its full-flavored, well-balanced fruit and oak and good acidity. It will pair wonderfully with all manner of seafood, soft cheese, and even white meats.
Aroma: heady and well-integrated wood, melon, pretty savory, pretty intense; Mouth: clean light, ripe and forward, linear and assertive, sweet, spicy and forward, fine, long; Very Good - Excellent $35; Case, $29.95
Red
2023 Cas'Amaro Porco Espinho Dao
A blend of native grapes, including Tinto Roriz, Tempranillo in Portugal, this is a lighter bodied, smooth and spicy, elegantly composed wine. It has just the right balance of acid, fruit, and tannin to make it a great everyday partner for any meal—burgers to chicken to steak.
Color: medium, dark, light edge; Aroma: pretty fine lean, clean smooth acid, clean, spicy and intense, clean, savory and pretty, raspberry, fresh and savory; Mouth: sweet and forward, clean fine acid, light, pretty, fine acid bright forward, fine acid; Very Good Plus $18.99; Case, $15.99
2022 Cas'Amaro Tres Corujas Three Owls, Lisboa
Just a bit leaner and spicier; this is another fine wine for everyday. A blend of three native grapes, it is fresh, lively, and easy to enjoy. Tangy and inviting
Aroma: ripe, lifted, deep, and fruity, heady and intense, savory, deep rather full, ripe; Mouth: clean light intense firm, sweet and forward, bright acid light and clean, fresh long; Very Good Plus $18.99; Case, $15.99
2022 Cas'Amaro Dao Camino Touriga Nacional
The premium Touriga Nacional grape is to Portugal,as Cabernet is to Napa, Syrah to the northern Rhone. Well-made, it makes powerful, layered and well-structured wines. This fits that profile showing Touriga’s unique character
Color: very dark purple; Aroma: heady and savory, bright and forward, savory, intense, savory dark fruit, intense, heady; Mouth: fleshy and deep, full, soft textured, clean fine acid, rounded deep fruit, smooth, fine tannins, very satisfying; Very Good Plus $25.99; Case, $21.95
2021 Cas'Amaro Pio Tinto Reserva
All Miura, a rare grape local to Lisboa, this is a powerfully lean and intense wine with an intriguing edge in both aroma and palate that I have not met before and is difficult to put into words. Turmeric? Cumin? Tasters help me out.
Aroma: heady and savory, rather rich, spicy and forward very heady, intriguing heady and aromatic; Mouth: smooth clean rather bright spicy and intense, clean fine acid, rather long; Very Good - Excellent $38; Case, $32
Len Rothenberg
Cas'Amaro Case, two each of the wines - $313 $269 (22.42)
Or mix your own case at the wines' case prices
At he tasting get any wine at its discount price
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
Champagne Asyala
Bollinger Goes Chardonnay
Brut Majeur
2021 vintage with about 40% reserve wines dating back to 2016, disgorged in October 2024, dosage of six grams /liter
Wine Advocate “unfurls from the glass with aromas evocative of crisp peach, orange zest and nashi pear with a subtle hint of thyme. On the palate, it is medium-bodied, chiseled and incisive, displaying a taut structure and vibrant core of fruit underpinned by bright acidity, with a youthfully frothy mousse and a saline finish. It reflects the spirit of the vintage with all its attributes.” $55, Case $47
Rose Majeur
Mostly 2021 vintage with some reserve wines from 2016 to 2020, disgorged in June 2024 with a dosage of six g/ liter—52% Chardonnay, 38% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier, including 5% still red.
Wine Advocate “ It opens with a fragrant bouquet of wild berries, pink grapefruit, rose petals and green gooseberries, mingling with aromas of honeysuckle and apple skin. On the palate, it is medium-bodied, taut and marked by incisive acidity, leading to a moderately long but somewhat austere finish.” $87, Case $74
2018 Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut A/18
Disgorged in July 2024 with a dosage of five grams/ liter, is sourced from grand and 1er Cru communes in the Cote de Blancs and the Montagne de Reims
Wine Advocate “ The wine rises from the glass with a flamboyant bouquet of pear, peach and grapefruit zest mingling with quince and cherry plum. On the palate, it is full-bodied and broad-shouldered, ample and textural, defined by a powerful musculature and a generous fruit core underpinned by ripe acidity, concluding with an enveloping finish. As is often the case in this vintage, a touch more tension would lend greater balance, yet its open-knit profile delivers immediate charm and promises a generous drinking window.” $90, Case $77
Brut Nature
55% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 15% Meunier, vintages 2019 to 2016. Disgorged: November 2024.
Vinous “a rich, heady Champagne with terrific balance and tons of character. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, chamomile and spice are some of the many aromas and flavors that gradually take shape in the glass. No dosage style yields a Champagne that is naturally a touch stark, but it works quite well here because of long aging on the lees and the blend of vintages”. By preorder only – Arrival in about a month $79 Net
Please pass this on to any friends who are wine enthusiasts!
- Len Rothenberg
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