WTN: `05 Caves Alianca Quinta dos Quatro Ventos, Douro.

One of Caves Alianca top flight wines, believe Michel Rolland showed up but happily his influence is minimal in my opinion. Blend of the usual suspects, 12 months in new French and Russian oak.

14.5% alc, $25 Cdn, cellared two years, opened and decanted one hour.

Color. A previous bottle I tasted in a wine-tasting session was more a medium purple. Now with some reddish tones, just a hint of bricking on the rim.

Nose. Hints of black pepper, heady, black fruits, earthy, herbal. "Thought some brambleberry here" from across the table. Still showing some spice box scents.

Palate. Initial thought was dry, soft tannins, cherry, plum, earthy. Has a distinct Portuguese feel about it including some tobacco and tart tones plus some spice. Not that succulent, still needs some time I think.

Blend of the usual suspects

For those of us who don't know much about Portuguese wines, what are the usual suspects?

Without looking up that particular wine, the typical grapes that might be found in a Douro tinto are the Tourigas (Nacional, Franca) and the Tintos Roriz (aka Tempranillo), Amarela, Barroca, Cao, and more obscure things like Sousao and Rufete. Somtimes the really old vineyards are field blends of these grapes and more.