The wines of Alvaro Castro - Quinta da Pellada and Quinta de Saes

Alvaro Castro is widely acknowledged to be the leading producer in Portugal’s Dão region. He makes a rather bewildering array of wines from his two Quintas, some of which are collaborations with other producers, and others of which are special projects.

‘I hate alcoholic wines’, says Alvaro. ‘When they are fruity enough I don’t feel the alcohol, but as they get older I do. Alcohol is like salt in your food: you don’t want too much’. His wines end up at 13–13.5% alcohol. ‘For grapevines’, says Alvaro, ‘the longer the period of maturation from veraison the better’. He’s experimenting with higher yields and harvesting later so that the final stages of maturation occur when it is not so hot. ‘In the old days we used to harvest in October’, he says. ‘The problem is if it starts raining and then doesn’t stop’.

Here I tasted through a broad range of his wines. They’re really, really good. Particular highlights are the 2005 Pape, the 2004 Dado and the 2004 Pellada Touriga Nacional, as well as the crazily brilliant Carrousel.

For the full background on Alvaro and his wines see this report on a visit to him in the Dão.

Pape 2003 Dão
A blend of Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional. The sweet spicy nose leads to a supple palate with attractive spiciness and smooth, ripe fruit. Finishes sweet: a nice, accessible style. 89/100

Pape 2004 Dão
Lovely elegance on the nose, which is spicy, full and lifted, with pure red and black fruits. The palate is concentrated with a lovely purity of fruit. Spicy, dense and structured. Delightful fruit quality. 93/100

Pape 2005 Dão
A blend of Baga and Touriga Nacional. Very deep coloured. Dark, full spicy nose shows vivid black fruits and nice freshness. The palate is dense and full with real intensity and tannic structure. Powerful, rich, bold, yet still fresh and intense. Lovely stuff. 94/100

Quinta de Saes 2005 Dão
This inexpensive wine shows lovely bright fruit. It’s spicy, rich and vivid. The palate is bold and full with intense spicy fruit and a nice savoury minerally edge. Lively and appealing. 90/100

Quinta de Saes Reserva 2005 Dão
Smooth, intense, sweet spicy fruit on the nose, which is pure and chocolatey. The palate is supple and pure with nice acidity and lovely structure. Quite rich, but with a lovely minerally, spicy presence. 92/100

Alvaro Castro 2005 Dão
Matured in old wood, this is a blend of Alfrocheiro and Touriga Nacional. Lovely focused bright red and black fruits nose, which is quite elegant and pure with a chocolatey edge. The palate is vivid and pure with dense, spicy fruit, good structure and fresh acidity. A pure wine of real class. 91/100

Dado 2004
A Douro/Dão blend, made in conjunction with Dirk Niepoort. Smooth, pure, elegant bright red and black fruits on the nose with some good structure. Attractive stuff with nice focus. 93/100

Dado 2003
Ripe and smooth, with some chocolatey notes. Richly fruited with some softness to the elegant fruit. Quite stylish in a ripe, fruity sort of way. 91/100

Quinta da Pellada 2003 Dão
Sweet, smooth focused nose with pure fruit and a bit of meatiness. The palate is smooth, supple and quite elegant with good acid and some structure. An elegant style. 91/100

Quinta da Pellada 2003 Dão (Special Label)
Smooth, dark, chocolatey nose. The palate is bold and structured with elegant smooth fruit dominating. Quite tight and still developing, with some oak evident. A lovely wine. 92/100

Quinta da Pellada Touriga Nacional 2004 Dão
Lovely perfumed nose showing intense spicy dark fruits. Really perfumed. The palate is bold and intense with lots of structure and spice. Fantastic. 94/100

Carrousel 2006 (Cask sample)
This is quite unusual in that it is aged in two lots of new oak: first the wine started off in Vicard and then it went into Francois Freres. Very deep in colour. Vivid, intense, spicy and bold with lots of structure and real intensity. It’s dark, spicy and woody. Fantastic, and should age brilliantly. 92–95

Wines tasted 03/07  
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