Tag Archives: Touriga Franca

Martinez Gassiot Late Bottled Vintage Port 2018, Porto Portugal

23 Thursday Jan 2025

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Deep, inky-ruby colored, with moderate staining, and high viscosity (19.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black plum ganache, fresh prune, blueberry jam,  cocoa powder, baking spice, leather, old oak, and a touch of juniper leaf.  The palate is sweet, with high acidity, a full body, and high levels of silky tannins that coat my gums.  The intensity of the fruit is medium (+) and mimics the nose.  It’s ripe, rich, opulent and delicious.  There’s a charcoal note on the mid palate that adds intrigue.  The finish is long and a touch astringent, which is kinda nice.  I’m thoroughly enjoying this $20 bottle that gets 91 points from me and 5 stars.  Drink till 2030 with a nice cheese tray.  Salut….

Martinez Late Bottled Vintage Port

Quevedo Family Red Blend Xisto 2021, Portugal

22 Sunday Dec 2024

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Deep purple colored with a watery meniscus, and a medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black raspberry, red plum, acai berry, vanilla bean, menthol, and red licorice.  The palate is slightly off-dry with medium acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium (-) tannins.  Very light in the mouth with very little structure- it has nice flavors of raspberry, plum, acai berry and red licorice with some vanilla and menthol notes.  The finish is medium (-) in length but pleasing with its fresh approach.  A blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Sousão that drinks effortlessly.  This easygoing style will appeal as an aperitif or with lighter fare. It runs $11 and gets 86 points from me which makes it a 3 star wine.  Drink till 2027.  Salut….

queued family xisto red

Quinta da Foz Reserva 2020, Douro, Portugal

08 Sunday Dec 2024

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Deep purple colored with medium staining, and medium viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of ripe blackberry, cassis, vanilla, coffee, dark chocolate, menthol, bramble berry, and a medicinal note.  It’s very enticing.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, a full body, and medium (+) tannins that are melding nicely.  The richness of the fruit is profound- dark berry with oak nuance by way of vanilla, coffee, chocolate, and a medicinal note.  The menthol note only appears on the back end. The finish is juicy and medium (+) in length.  A delicious blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tina Roriz.  I have tasted two earlier vintages of this Reserva with equally impressive notes and high scores.  I will go with 94 points this time and for $25- I’m stocking up.  5 stars with a drink till 2030 window.  Salut….

Quinta da Foz Reserva

Real Companhia Velha Quinta das Carvalhas Late Bottle Vintage Port 2019, Portugal

05 Thursday Dec 2024

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Dark ruby colored with medium staining and a high viscosity (20% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of macerated bramble berry, blackberry pie, dried cigar wrapper, old oak, dark chocolate, sweet prune, and a hint of wintergreen.  The palate is semi-sweet with medium acidity, a full body and medium (+) tannins that are polished.  The flavor intensity is medium (+) and echoes the nose- leading to a long finish that is slightly sweet, slightly dry, and slightly tangy giving a wonderful mouthfeel.  I have had the 2018 vintage and enjoyed it thoroughly.  This one is perhaps even better and gets 92 points from me.  I paid $23 and give it 5 stars.  Delicious and deserving of some Bleu cheese to pair.  Drink till 2035.  Salut….

quinta das carvalhas lbv 2019

Quinta Das Carvalhas Red Blend 2021, Douro, Portugal

14 Thursday Nov 2024

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Medium ruby colored with slight staining and a medium viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has muted aromas of black raspberry, licorice, coffee, dark chocolate, acai berry, red plum and dried coconut husk.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium body and medium (-) tannins.  The flavors are slightly more intense than the nose and offer up black raspberry, red plum, acai berry, mint, coffee, dark chocolate and a touch of anise.  The dried husk disappeared.  The finish is medium in length and refreshing, the tannins completely resolve by now.  The acidity keeps it fresh and lifts the fruit.  It’s not a very complex wine and the muted nose detracts from the points but I like this weekday bottle.  It garners 88 points from me and for $12 it gets 4 stars.  Blend of 40% Touriga Nacional, 40% Tinta Roriz and 20% Touriga Franca .   Drink till 2027.  Salut….

quinta das carvalhas red blend

 

Quinta do Crasto Superior 2016, Douro, Portugal

06 Saturday Jan 2024

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This is the third time I have tasted the Crasto Superior 2016.  It started out horribly the first time I drank it in 2022, the second bottle being far better so I ordered this one for our tasting group in hopes it would redeem itself.  Deep ruby colored with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose had aromas of blueberry, violets, vanilla, black cherry and was a touch jammy.  On the palate it had medium acidity, medium tannins and a medium body.  Flavors of blueberry jam, tart cherry and powdery cocoa greeted us.  The finish was medium (-) in length.  I wrote to drink this bottle now as I feel the structure has nearly reached its end game.  At 11 points from on our grading sheet it was unimpressive, until later.  This wine opened up nicely over the next few hours and I have upgrade my initial score of 88 points to 90.  We paid $24 for it and I would say it’s a 4 star effort.  Salut….

Quinta Das Carvalhas Tinto 2017, Douro, Portugal

18 Thursday Aug 2022

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A blend of 60% Touriga Nacional with the balance between Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) from the Douro, it is medium to deep purple colored.  The nose has a bit of heat initially but then I get aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, saddle leather, vanilla, a touch of raisin and star anise. The palate is dry with medium (+) tannins and medium acidity.  Think black tea meets charcoal with a melange of very sun-ripened black fruits.  It’s a full bodied wine that sports a hefty 14.5% ABV (which I noticed on the nose) and carries through to a medium length finish.  For $16 this is a delicious wine that will cellar well till 2028 and drink nicely now if you like a touch of dryness.  91 points and 5 stars.  Salut….

Quinta do Crasto Superior 2016, Douro, Portugal

06 Wednesday Apr 2022

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I am a fan of Portuguese reds- I find them to offer high value for the money.  This Superior from the Douro is a blend of 50% Touriga Nacional, 25% Touriga Franca, 20%  Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) and 5% Sousao.  It is deep ruby with medium intensity aromas of stewed plums (prunes), green pepper, white pepper, dried blackberry, dried sage and a nuttiness.  I felt the wine is still developing.  On the palate it is dry with medium (+) tannins, medium acidity, medium alcohol and medium body.  The medium intensity flavors of prunes, dried sage and blackberry coupled with the nutty component led to a short finish.  I was underwhelmed by this ‘acceptable’ wine that should be drunk now, with no further aging.  It runs $24 locally and gets a mere 86 points from me making it a 2 star effort.

PS. tasting from a second bottle revealed the possibility that this wine was corked and the scores and reviews were deflated from the performance expected of this wine that scored highly with the pros.

Salut….

Quinta da Foz Reserva 2017, Douro, Portugal

12 Saturday Mar 2022

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I really enjoy Portuguese wines, from the sweet dessert Ports to the crisp white Alvarinos to the beautifully meshed red blends of the Douro.  Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo) make up this wine that is a deep ruby in the glass.  The nose is awesome- black plum, blackberry, currants, charred wood, black cherry, licorice, vanilla and coconut.  The palate is delicious, tart with juicy acidity and dry.  The tannins are quite evident but they caress rather than attack the gums.  The astringency hits a bit later on the mid palate.  Pronounced flavors of black fruit, oak and licorice swirl across the palate and end up in a long finish that is quite tannic at this stage and definitely amazing.  Full bodied, this is a wine meant for the long haul and will pair nicely with my Beef Kebabs- spiced with a dry rub and served with salad.  93 points for this $30 wine makes it a 5 star effort to drink till 2030.  Salut….

Casa Ferreirinha Esteva Tinto 2016, Douro, Portugal

08 Tuesday Mar 2022

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Medium opacity, this blend of Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca is a stunning ruby color in the glass with singular, yet thick legs.  On the nose it is of medium intensity with aromas like black raspberry, red plum, violet, cinnamon, coconut and dried herbs.  The palate is dry with mouth coating tannins that are medium strength to go along with the medium (-) acidity.  Flavors of red and black fruit combined with a dusty earthiness, floral notes, and some oak influence make for an interesting taste.  The wine is medium bodied with the tannins fading rapidly on the back end.  The finish is short but tasty.  There is a black tea component right at the end that I like.  Overall- this 88 pointer gets 4 stars for is $10 price point and ability to pour easily on a weekday with burgers or other non-exotic fare.  I like it.  Salut….