Open Mike: Douro table wines.

« Redoma » Douro DOC V.Q.R.D.D. 1995 – Niepoort (Vinhos) S.A. Porto – 13.5% alc.

I had great expectations that this wine would show what up-market can achieve with some bottle age. Alas, what a disappointment!

C: Quite deep with no signs of bricking.
N: Surprisingly evolved with notes of marmalade and dust but complex and interesting.
P: Dominated by acidity and not much else there. If there had been some body, generosity and “gras”, this acidity might have been an appealingly mineral note but there was nothing else. Germaine detected varnish and even hints of stripper which is a sure sign of VA infection. The wine only showed sign of better balance when accompanying a dressed salad, which gives me the idea that I should use the remains as a wine vinegar.

This is particularly disappointing in view of the superbly ethereal Port, especially Colheita, which I have enjoyed from Niepoort over the years and of the good showing of some mid-90s vintages of Redoma when I tried them in the late 90s.

I am minded to copy this WTN to Niepoort.

(I replaced this bottle with a excessively vanillin Rioja 2002 which was scarcely more enjoyable.)

Tim, what a pity. I cannot begin to figure out what happened here, hopefully the winery will get back to you and you can fill us in. Is this one of their early vintages of Redoma

Bob, I have found my manuscript note on Redoma 95 from a Niepoort tasting at La Vigneronne in December 1998.

"Aromatic animal nose, fruity structured animal taste."

I liked the wine sufficiently to buy a 3-pack at £49. I must have consumed one sometime along the line with no untoward memories.

It is true that there were faint animal traces last night which I failed to note. Just about the only thing other than the overwhelming acidity, which was apparently not an issue in 1998.

I wonder if the presence of brett can have led to this result.

BTW the 1966 Colheita at that tasting was sublime.

Re: Redoma 1995 -

I have had a charming reply from Dirk Niepoort to my E-mail with WTN attached. He confirms that a lot of the bottles are as I describe whilst others are good. He kindly offers to replace any remaining bottles.

He also makes the important point that the present conditions for making Redoma are much superior to those of the mid 90s and that the price has more than doubled.

Thats fair and interesting. I think your bottle was one of the earlier vintages Tim?

Bob, Redoma's first vintage for red was 1991 and for white 1995, which I also tasted in 1998. Niepoort obviously had something to learn about unfortified wines in the early days. On the other hand I have tasted superb ports of theirs from the 50s and have no reason to believe that they were not equally superb for decades before that.

Here is their site - http://www.niepoort-vinhos.com/

I've been drinking 'bargain' Douro table wines for several years now. Most of the common names have been mentioned, and indeed the Touriga Nacional wines have consistently impressed the most. (A couple of years back I was buying Bright's Douro for under $10 - great BBQ wine).
But a little bit lost in this thread (although referenced in the early links) is the issue of whether a 'first-class' top end wine exists (c.f Grange for Australia).
An earlier mention of Barca Velha is certainly relevant (the 1966 was sensational and others were merely excellent). BUT, as also mentioned in the links, but without tasting notes, the top candidate now (for me anyway) is the Quinta do Vale Meao (caution they make both a table wine and a Vintage Port with identical names). I was served the table wine blind at a trade show a few years back - my response "Where can I get this?". The effect was similar to my first taste of Grange - you're not sure what it is - but wow! - that makes me take notice. And I hadn't asked the price at that point either.
I now know that the vineyard is actually the same vineyard that was previously used for Barca Velha (succession issues meant the vines and wines were separated within the family). Yes it costs around $75US - way above my usual price bracket - but if you split a bottle between 4 people you're still paying under $20 each - and I'd always choose 6oz of a great wine over a full bottle of (almost) forgettable stuff. And they do have a lower end version - Meandro - for less than half the price (around $20) - the 2005 is in the Wine Spectator (sorry - pause to rinse my mouth out) Top 100 of 2007.
So, if you'd happily now pay $75 for a 'first-growth equivalent.........'

Alan, nice note. If you would like to see a truly great selection from Portugal, go to http://www.devinewines.ca and do a "product search". You will see an amazing selection from this store here in Edmonton! Just a regular happy customer.

Gosh, you are lucky in Edmonton. Is there any reason, other than store owner's enthusiasm, why such a great selection of Douro wine should be available there.

So far I have been quite disappointed by the limited range which I have found in the usual outlets in Brussels, in spite of a noticeable Portuguese community here. However, I know that there are some small Portuguese owned food and drink shops which I have not yet visited but driving and parking in town has become such a nightmare that it discourages experimental searches.

If you would like to see a truly great selection from Portugal, go to http://www.devinewines.ca and do a "product search". You will see an amazing selection from this store here in Edmonton! Just a regular happy customer.

Indeed excellent selection. Shows what happens when private enterprise gets involved. Many of the table wines are available here - but only through the consignment programme (need to order by the case and the importer is required to clear the entire importation quantity within a dcouple of months i.e no continuous availability - wonder what the logic is in that!!). Fortunately the Ontario agent (FWP wines) brings most in as 6-packs.

Is there any reason, other than store owner's enthusiasm, why such a great selection of Douro wine should be available there.

Good question Tim. One of the owners is from Portugal and she has done a terrific job getting the list together. Some of the prices are right up there but this is Alberta!!

Alan, I take it you have no privatized stores in Ontario?

[quote="Bob Parsons Alberta
Alan, I take it you have no privatized stores in Ontario?[/quote]
Hi Bob,
Private Stores in Ontario will arrive about the time of the Apocalypse! The Union is too strong.
However, we do now have BYOW (bring your own wine) in restaurants that choose to embrace it - and many have.
And that came out of nowhere! And I take great pleasure in making a reservation for 8 people; then asking about BYOW. If the restaurant doesn't allow it, I then cancel the reservation.

[Actually I suspect I accidentally may have helped that cause; at a party I was asked a casual question about BYOW (from someone who had been told that wine was a passion of mine). I responded that if legislation was introduced, the Ontario Liberals would have a lifetime voter (NOTE: The Conservatives TWICE had privatization in their election platform - a promise forgotten both times). What I hadn't known at the time, was that the questioner was a Policy adviser to the Provincial Liberals.]
I, of course, always keep my promises - just as a politician does.

Alan and everyone, found this today on Tony Aspler`s blog (well-known Canadian writer)..............................>

This afternoon at the Design Exchange, a Port and Douro wines tasting. Twenty-seven tables set out by agents, representing 42 Portuguese producers. A vast number of wines, but since I had a meeting to attend at 5 pm I had to be selective. I made a beeline for Niepoort to taste Dirk's new wine Dialogo 2005 with a label that looks like a cross between a page of postage stamps and a newspaper cartoon. Also tried his magnificent Redoma 2005. Could not miss out on my favourite 20 Year Old Tawny, Ramos Pinot Bom Retiro. João Roseira from Quinta do Infantado was there and since I'm a big fan of his wines I tasted through the six products he was showing. He has a Douro Red 2004 which reminded me of what Port would have tasted like if Baron de Forrester had had his way in the mid-1800s and had brandy and blackcurrant juice banned from the production of Douro wines. João makes one of the best Ruby ports. His LBV is very concentrated and unfiltered. Tasted Infantado's very forward 2003 Vintage Port, followed by the 2004, which has more grip, and sampled the 2007, which João has yet to declare. But I imagine the decision is academic; it's already succulent and rich. Other wines of note: Quinta Nova Grainha Red 2005 and that quinta's LBV Port 2003 and VT Tinto 2005, a new wine created by Josè Maria Calem, Jorge Serôdio Borges and Cristiano Van Zeller (50% Touriga Nacional).

Quinta do Infantado Douro DOC 2003 – Alc. 13% - (EUR 11).

(Great Gold Medal at the Concours Mondial Bruxelles 2006 - FWIW)

I spotted cases of this in the cellars of one Belgium’s best pickers of, mainly French, wine. So relying on his skill, I was pretty safe in buying this experimental bottle and opening it for dinner.

C: Very deep with purple foam on pouring.
N: At first quite sweet dark fruit with a decided tang which emerged shortly as wet leather. (By now they leathery and quinine tang is dominating the empty bottle.)
P: Virile and powerful with dark fruit, good acid balance, structure and mouth-fill with notes of wood, liquorice and even hints of quinine on the aftertaste.

I like this wine a lot and I think that it competes well in its price range and I guess that it has several years of life and perhaps improvement potential ahead of it; 15.5/20.

Alan Gardner has reminded us that we should be looking out for a first rate benchmark wine from this area (I would add comparable in stature to the best vintage port) and this one, of course, does not fit that bill. Indeed, none which I have opened so far are real aspirants for that stature. Quinta do Gaivosa 1999 is very pretty but not quite there and Redoma 1995 was a VA infected disappointment.

Where should I look for that Holy Grail?

From my cellar I have a Quinta do Cotto 1994 and a Redoma 1994, which Dirk recommends decanting past a copper coin, therefore probably reductive. There are some one or two pricy bottles available at luxury shops but mostly too young to have yet realized full potential, nevertheless still worth looking at. If I come across a mature Barca Velha or Q. Do Vale Meao at a half reasonable price, I will snap it up but I am doubtful about finding either here.

Tim asks..........Where should I look for that Holy Grail?

Not much hope of finding it in Alberta either! Barca Velha, vintage unknown, is here for $80 but I used to buy it for twenty pounds back home in the early `90s. I am not going to panic Tim, something of real note will be here....soon?

Just picked up the new vintage (`06) of the Prazo, but have others in the line-up naturally.

Quinta Das Caldas 2005 – Douro DOC – Domingos Alves de Sousa – 14° Alc. (<EUR 7)

This wine comes from the same estate as the much more ambitious Quinta da Gaivosa, on which I wrote a note a few weeks ago. It is made from Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Sousâo and Tinta Francisca.

C: A good deep red.
N: Vigorous dark fruit aromas.
P: Virile and robust flavours and structure with dark fruit and touches of leather and liquorice. This is an honestly enjoyable wine and good QPR; 15/20.

Based on the Douros which I have looked at in the past few weeks, they seem to be very solid performers in the middle rank with none of the synthetic artifice, confected flavours, over-oaking and forcing which disfigure, say, most equivalent Shiraz.

Now I must find one which punches its weight at the top level.

WTN: `03 Symington Douro Altano Reserva.

Local winebar offering, $8 a glass. Seems to be available in most good winestores these days, although I have seen the `05 already.

Ruby with thick purple rim. Blackcurant, berries, spice, seems to have brief port-like hints.
On the palate, medium to full bodied, soft tannins and good balance. Pepper, raspberry, sour cherry all well intermingled! Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca, it drinks well but like Tim, need to step up the complexity ladder.

Scott, I hope you find this Open Mike of interest. Any comments welcome!
There will be some more TNs shortly.

[Jenise]

Tim, good call.

A long time ago someone reccomended a Douro wine which I bought and found to have fairly high VA. Since then I've had one impressive Douro wine after another thanks to Bill Spohn and my Canadian friends, but have I been a buyer? Not until last Sunday, when I became the proud owner of three bottles of 2005 Quinto de Crasto Reserva.

Now, I totally know how good this wine is going to be someday. The question is: would I find it enjoyable or useful to taste (waste?) one this young? I kind of believe in tasting the babies, but at the same time I've found many, though not all, young Portugese reds a tad grapey. At $37 ea, wouldn't be any joy for me in that. But maybe the Q de C is different...any opinions?

Douro DOC - Quinta do Côtto - Grande Escolha - 1994 - Montez Champalimaud, Lda. - Bottle no. 14,230 - Alc. 12%.

Alas, like the Niepoort Redoma 1995, the PALATE of this wine was spoiled by volatile acidity, although to a slightly less extent; some body and "gras" was perceptible. This is particularly disappointing, since on the NOSE I had high hopes that this was going to be the real thing; quite bordelais in character with richness, complexity and depth enhanced by an elegant bright freshness (maybe this was a positive contribution from the VA?!).

However, this is a fine winey vinegar or vinegary wine and will be well used in cooking as was the Redoma.

I know that statistitians will say that two bad bootles out of two is an inadequate sample but, added to Jenise's experience, this will make me extremely cautious about snapping up bottles of Douro table wine from the mid-90s unless the price is very low. It would seem that, at that time, at least two Douro producers had not yet mastered the art of making stable table wine.

This OM has certainly opened some serious discussion and now it seems we may have to wonder about when is the best time to think of drinking up? I do not have these big reserve wines in my cellar, prefer to buy the Douros I think might be good in a few (!!) years.
Victor from Finca Sandoval posts here,maybe he might have some answers. Not gonna stop me buying however. Drink sooner!

Bob, I don't believe that these ageing problems are inherent to Douro grapes or terroir. It is much more likely that, after centuries of making fortified wine, they lost the art of making table wines and it shows in these early attempts. Dirk Niepoort said in his Email that they are doing much better now and I believe him. However, only a few more years in the cellar for recent vintages will finally prove whether this is right and I have no suitable candidate bottles right now.

Tim, I'm sorry to hear your experience with the Redoma '95 was so bad. I loved the wine when I tasted it a while back: it smelled almost like Nebbiolo, except it was darker and wilder. I didn't notice much VA (but then again, I do like Musar and Madeira), nor excess acidity. I think I might be a bit too hard core in my love for both VA and screeching acidity, lol!

-O

Otto,

The VA on this bottle of Redoma 95 was far more pronounced than on any Madeira or Musar which I have had. I am no purist about VA and, if not dominant, I often think that it enhances a wine but on this Redoma and to a less extent on the Q. CÔtto it was out of balance. In our Email exchange Dirk Niepoort claimed that the volatility of 95 is variable from bottle to bottle, so it sounds as if you had one of the better ones.