I suppose my expectations were a little high going into the event. Some were met, some exceeded, and some were dashed faster than a progressive's hopes for President Obama. Walk around tastings are at their very best an awkward affair. I am not a fan of these tastings, and I will own that I arrived (after four hours of driving and another extraordinarily frustrated hour of trying to park in Bryant Park) in a less than perfect frame of mind to attend the tasting, and with less time then I would have hoped. The tasting notes and materials on the wines of Portugal were excellent. The cast of wines was expertly assembled and for the most part, spoke for themselves. This was important as the presenters assembled were primarily NYC sommeliers working off of tech sheets on the wines. Many of those I spoke with seemed to have not much knowledge of the wines/producers or regions beyond what was on the sheet. I was truly surprised that many of them had not even bothered to read past the 2-3 wines on their table to learn what wines had made the list.
They also decided to stop tasting right at 5 and not let the trade event flow into the paid open admission that followed it. Here is some free professional advice to the sommeliers manning the tables and the event organizers. If you are going to stop pouring in a room full of people (like a couple hundred people) 5-10 minutes past the advertised end of a tasting, pull the open bottles from the tables and walk away. Do not stand behind your table and the open bottles of wine ignoring the people you invited to attend your event, or worse, shooing them away from the tables like a bunch of drunks after last call. Lets hope they pulled it together for the folks who had paid $65 to attend the "Grand Tasting" following the trade event. It served as an excellent reminder to me for my own future tasting events, whether for the public or the trade, there is a very basic level of human relations savvy that you need to be possessed of at all times or you can really ruin the very hard work of an awful lot of people in a flash.
I know, blah-blah-blah, poor me. I had to bring it up though because, 1) If there is a place for the real version of experiences it is a blog 2) I really just did not get to taste all of the wines. I'm sharing my impressions of what I tasted, not the whole 50, so please bear this in mind.
So on to the list. The idea is a good one. Choose a journalist to immerse themselves in Portuguese wines. They taste the wines, visit the regions and generate a list of "50 Great Portuguese Wines" Different journalists have different ideas and criterion for their list. Julia Harding MW, the most recent UK author, wanted to focus on native varietals. Joshua Greene had a goal "to assemble 50 wines representing the major regions of Portugal..." And for the inevitable camp that starts typing, "What about Pera Manca?" almost before they have read the 50th wine, he says, "This list represents a snapshot of 50 Great Portuguese Wines, there are other great wines of Portugal waiting for you to discover them." Clearly, Joshua Greene is knowledgeable and passionate about Portuguese wines. His letter, "Portugal Rocks" and the published literature handed out at the event were all top notch. And his list of wines was thorough, eclectic and inclusive.
The Wines-Highlights and Lowlights
As I said, if the presenters were tied to the script, many of the wines spoke for themselves, just not always to the good.
Also atypical, in a not so great way, was the Solar das Boucas Loureiro 2012. Usually I feel a bit like Will Rogers when I think about Loureiro, "Never met a Loureiro, I didn't like" Cue the screeching tires-I actually thought this must be a flawed bottle. The presenter (the very first wine at the very first table-was very sweet and indulged me by pouring me a sample from another open bottle which was equally awful, thereby eradicating that theory) Greene's description of the wine would make me buy a bottle, "His young white has the clarity of a Vinho Verde without any overt sweetness. Instead, it delivers a blast of coastal briskness, it's pear-like fruit reflecting the granite soils in which it grows as a crystal refracts light. The flavors are harmonious with lime zest freshness." I did not write tasting notes on this one, but I can guarantee that my description would not sell any bottles. Sometimes you can just have a very different palate than the author of a tasting note, but on the whole I found my impressions and notes to be not so far off from the expert notes provided by Joshua Greene. When that second bottle turned up the same as the first, I read the tasting note and willed myself to search for those flavors. The most I could summon was that perhaps this could be appealing in a very under-ripe/high acid/where Vinho Verde all started kind of a way-or in layman's terms, what green fruit tastes like when it's not masked by sugar. Anyway, either it truly was a bad bottle or it is just not my cup of tea. But I would implore any other tasters for whom this was their first Loureiro/and not their favorite wine, to continue to experience the varietal in other versions. I am pretty sure you will find one to your liking (Anselmo Mendes, Dirk Niepoort and even Quinta de Gomariz on the simpler side, are all producers worth seeking out.)
There was actually one more Loureiro on offer at the tasting, IdealDrinks, Eminência 2010, white, Vinho Verde. This one came with a fine pedigree, a famous winemaker and a staging in used barrels from the famous Sauternes producer Chateaux d'Yquem. All this aside, I found it oddly lacking in Loureiro's more captivating attributes. Maybe it's sort of like sending your kid off to a fancy boarding school-the wine had plenty of polish but not much down-home appeal. Sarah Ahmed gave a great description of the wine on her site, The Wine Detective. She acknowledges "it might not appeal to purists" but still placed it in her top white wines of the year. So maybe I'm a purist. Here's her description, "A glitzy Loureiro, which undergoes extended barrel ferment and batonnage. Not your usual Vinho Verde then but this, the flagship wine, is wholly in keeping with Ideal Wines’ ambitious portfolio. From the estate’s 40 year old vineyards in Loureiro-focused Lima, its concentration and structure belie its pale hue. It’s most definitely pale and interesting! A leesily creamy, deliciously textured palate reveals long and ever so lingering layers of minerals, lime cordial and lime blossom, powder puff and delicately judged supporting sweet, smoky oak. It won’t appeal to purists but, without question, it’s the most powerful, intense and complex Loureiro I’ve encountered. And thoroughly beguiling with it. One of my top 12 white wines of the year"
Although I feel a bit as though I should recuse myself as I represent these wines in my markets-I would be remiss if I did not point out the fabulous wines from Esporao estate in the Alentejo. Their delectable and unique single varietal Esporao Verdelho 2012 made the list. Side note-Verdelho is not Verdejo, though it's grassy aromas, citrus and high acids may remind to this or Sauvignon blanc. It is a grape used in Madeira and genetically similar to Spain's Godello. Searching for a white variety that could stand up to the relentless Alentejo sun and still maintain interest and acidity, Esporao's chief winemaker David Baverstock, knew the variety from the Barossa valley and planted it experimentally. The result is an enticing white with layers of tropical fruit and spices on a frame of stony minerality and a long, and mouthwatering finish.
The Esporao Reserva Red 2010 also made the list. This wine is their flagship and never fails to deliver, but this year's is undeniably first class, with impeccable balance and plenty of stuffing to continue aging if you are so inclined. I found Greene's description spot on, "This is a dark and supple blend of Trincadeira, Aragones, Alicante Bouchet and Cabernet Sauvignon,... The wine delivers immediate richness, taking time to show its subtle tannic detail. There's a touch of volatility to point up the complex scents of leather, earth and black peppercorn, then the finish holds firm and stony."
And for whites I would have to award best in show to the Soalheiro Alvariniho 2012. I've probably talked about it on this blog enough already-but it is a stellar wine and held its head high above the competition. I actually had never tried the Soalheiro Alvarinho Primeiras Vinhas 2012 which also made the list, "the Grand Cru of Alvarinhos...aged in older oak barrels; it rests on its fine lees until bottling the May after harvest. This will age with grace and harmony for ten years or more. Cerdeiro's top vintages, including the 1994 are still gaining momentum in the bottle." Joshua Greene. Age worthiness aside, a pesky purist, I still prefer the basic Alvarinho. The Primeiras Vinhas was delicious though-mellower and much leesier with subtle oak and lots of power. The lush mouthfeel hinted at pastry cream-a citrus tart topped with slivers of toasted nuts? I would never get to Alvarinho in a blind tasting.
Some other whites of note incuded the Vale da Poupa Moscatel Galego White 2012, an intriguing dry Moscatel Galego from the town of Favaios in the Douro produced by Secret Spot Wines. The wine was smoky and perfumed with lovely spice and persistence. Also the Quinta do Boicao Reserva White 2012 was a lovely barrel aged Arinto from Bucelas. Some discrepancy between the fact sheet and Greene's notes leaves the age of the barriques used in question. My money would be on older oak as the wine brimmed with fresh fruit. Delicious either way.
The wanna-be wine weenies were swimming around the Quinta das Abgeiras Garrafeira White 2004. A blend of Maria Gomes and Bical from the Bairrada region fermented with only native yeasts and aged in 100 year old Portuguese Oak barrels. I will leave them to it.
I really missed out on lots of reds and Ports. Luis Pato had been manning his table earlier, but I did not get to taste with him. There were no real duds of the reds I tried, though a few of the fancy Douros failed to wow. I found the Muxagat Vinhos Red 2011 somewhat pedestrian considering its fine pedigree. Likewise, I was excited to try the Niepoort Vinhos Batuta 2010, but I found it to be way over the top, showing a little oxiized and extremely Porty.
For me, these red wines were the highlights:
Quinta do Pinto Estate Collection Red 2011, Lisboa
This blend of Touriga Nacional, Aragonez, Alfrocheiro, Tinta Miuda, and Syrah really showed that the Lisboa region can do more than bulk wines and value. Only 150,000 bottles produced, the winery was listed as "seeking a US importer" but there was no representative from the winery there and the presenter had not even a ballpark idea of what price the wine would go for. (My guess is too much, or they would already have a US importer. ) The nose reminded me of an Alentejo red with loads of sun drenched fruit. The palate was broad but remained soft in the mid palate with the French Oak and very present tannins really only asserting themselves on the finish. Very, very good.
Quinta de Plansel Marques de Montemor Colheita Seleccionada Touriga Franca 2010
A varietal Touriga Franca from the Alentejo! This really reminded me of a Bordeaux, the nose was a bit vegetal (in a good way,) and Greene's description of the wine as "a peppery claret, with little of the overt warmth of the Alentejo. It's ripe and velvety, lasting with fragrance rather than heat," is right on the money.
Casa de Mouraz Elfa 2010
My Encruzado friends came out swinging again with this killer red from the Dao-a field blend of 30 different grape varieties from an 80 year old organic vineyard that has been farmed biodynamically since 2006. The nose on this wine was incredible-full of floral perfume and a crazy blend of fruit flavors that managed to meld themselves into focus. This is one to geek out on. Greene calls the wine, "vibrant in its flavor detail, monumental in ints granitic power. A modern classic from the terroir of Dao."
Jorge Nobre Moreira Poeira 2010
Just 15,000 bottles of this old vine Douro beauty are produced. Showing a bit closed, the glimpses of what this wine will do were provocative. Says Greene, "His 2010 has the floral spice of Douro's old-vine blends, and compelling schist tannins that lend an undercurrent of power-a sunny wine that seems to expand and contract with each breath after a taste of its dynamic flavors."
Joao Brito e Cunha Quinta de S. Jose Touriga Nacional 2011
No surprise to me, a varietal Touriga Nacional was my favorite wine of the tasting. Just 2700 bottles are produced from an organically farmed 25 acre Douro front vineyard across from Quinta da Romaneira. The nose was unbelievably vibrant and complex, and the palate was silky and voluptuous with loads of mocha/espresso. Joshua Greene said, "The foreground is much more complex than most single-variety Tourigas, pulling aside a full drape of purple fruit to reveal a silken fabric of purple-black tannins. The tannins seem to refract the broken edges of schist, rounded by oak into richness. The wine has flavor dimensions as well as cut, the structure as tight as the skin around a plump black cherry." That is one voluptuous cherry! It claims they are "currently seeking a US importer" but with only 250 cases produced, my guess is it is getting consumed in Portugal.
Clearly the goal of the tasting was to showcase the wines and the strength and range of Portuguese wines and styles. To that end, I would call it a success. But next year, I think I'll wait for the DC edition.
