Values from Portugal
Our good friend and importer of Portuguese wine Augusto Gabriel stopped in last week to show us some of his best and best value gems.
April 3, 2019
Just to be a little different we began the tasting with a Quinta Val D Maria White Portspritzer. This is made with white port, tonic water and orange and lemon slices and is a very popular drink in the Douro. One taster on leaving announced that this was the “IT” wine spritzer of the season.
The first white was the 2017 Beyra. This showed a bright citrus freshness that was light and very attractive. This is a sitting on the deck with appetizers kind of wine and very, very good for that. We then tasted the 2017 Fonto Do Ouro Dao Branco. This showed more richness with a nod toward apple and pear fruit. This would be versatile with a wide range of food. Because these two were very different wines, tasters generally preferred one over the other. At the end of the night both sold very well in almost equal amounts.
We began the reds with the 2016 Beyra Reserva Red. This is medium bodied with very pleasant notes of deep cherry. It has a lot going on and distinct minerality from the high altitude rocky soils. The 2016 Fontdo Ouro Tinto Reservahad a bit more weight, spicy and smooth and notes of blackcurrant. The comments for these two reds were very positive. Then they were overshadowed by the 2015 Castello d’Alba Vinhas Velhas. This wine showed real complexity in a very balanced way. Fruit, flower, herb and spice all melded in a full bodied format.
Just to be a little different again we showed a couple of bonus items. The Burmester “Jockey Club” 7 year Tawny Port is a great example of the house style. It is just sweet enough with no sense of heaviness. A very pleasant drink indeed. We then tasted a family project from close to the coast. This was the Mavem Mature Brandywhich is triple distilled and aged 8 years in oak. This is just as complex and not quite as dry as cognac.
This was a very pleasant and valuable tasting and we would like to thank Augusto for a lot of fun and good information.
White
Quinta Val D Maria White Port (Aperitif)Would you like a lemon with that? Very Good Plus 15.99/bottle 14.39/mixed case 13.59/case
2017 Beyra White: Bright straw. Citrus, grapefruit hints of nettle and wild flowers. Light and fresh with a bright finish. Very Good Plus to Excellent 10.99/bottle 9.89/mixed case 9.34/case
2017 Fonte do Ouro Dao Branco: Straw with green highlights. Clean apple, pear and tropical fruit, with fresh mineral and good structure. Very good volume and complexity. Very Good Plus to Excellent 12.99/bottle 11.69/mixed case 11.04/case
Red
2016 Beyra Reserva Red : Ruby. Cherries and blackberry with discreet minerality. Barrel notes of vanilla and toast with spice. Very good persistent fruit with a fresh finish. Very Good to Excellent 15.99/bottle 14.39/mixed case 13.59/case
2016 Fonte do Ouro Tinto Reserva: Deep ruby. Red wild berries, coffee with violet and bergamot. Blackcurrant and spice with smooth tannins and complexity Very Good to
Excellent 21/bottle 18.90/mixed case 17.85/case
2015 Castello D’Alba Vinhas Velhas: Deep ruby. Great aromatic excellence. Berries, roses, hints of violet. Notes of fresh basil and bergamot. Light touch of oak, very smooth and ripe tannins. Long finish. Excellent 24/bottle 21.60/mixed case 20.40/case
Instore only 4/3 Portuguese Pack: Special, one each of the above wines - $89
mix any 6- 11 in stock wines for 10% off
any 12 or more for 15% off
Burmester “Jockey Club” 7 Year Tawny Port 24/bottle
Mavem Mature Brandy 8 year: 63/bottle
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
Please pass this on to any friends who are wine enthusiasts!
- Len Rothenberg
