Superb Portuguese white
Portugal's red wines tend to get more attention than the whites. I'm guilty here: my recent 50 Great selection had just five whites in it, if I recall correctly, and all from the Minho. Here's a superb white from the master of Dão.
Quinta da Pellada Primus 2007 Dão, Potugal
From Alvaro Castro, this is a serious white wine. It’s made from old vine Encruzado, Cercial and Bical. Castro is trying to replicate a great 1964 white he had, made by CEN (Centro de Estudos Vitivinícolas de Nelas) oenologist Cardoso de Vilhena. Castro has been strongly influenced by Vilhena, who he believes was a brilliant winemaker. This, the second release (2006 was first vintage) has a beautiful, intriguing nose: floral and herbal with lemon oil and waxy notes. Refined fruit character dominates the palate, which has lovely depth and intensity. There’s a rich herby complexity as well as some spice. It only has a hint of oak. Just a baby, this will develop beautifully and could age well for a long time. It’s a shame to drink it so young, really. 92/100 (£28 Castas, http://www.castas.co.uk/)
From Alvaro Castro, this is a serious white wine. It’s made from old vine Encruzado, Cercial and Bical. Castro is trying to replicate a great 1964 white he had, made by CEN (Centro de Estudos Vitivinícolas de Nelas) oenologist Cardoso de Vilhena. Castro has been strongly influenced by Vilhena, who he believes was a brilliant winemaker. This, the second release (2006 was first vintage) has a beautiful, intriguing nose: floral and herbal with lemon oil and waxy notes. Refined fruit character dominates the palate, which has lovely depth and intensity. There’s a rich herby complexity as well as some spice. It only has a hint of oak. Just a baby, this will develop beautifully and could age well for a long time. It’s a shame to drink it so young, really. 92/100 (£28 Castas, http://www.castas.co.uk/)
6 Comments:
Love his wines - his general mad demeanour comes shining through, and his daughter's a bit of a live-wire too. Bottle in pic says 2007, post says 2008....
Thanks for the correction - I've now changed the text.
Hi Jamie,
I was among those asking why you had so few whites in the Top50 tasting, so I'm glad you're on the lookout for more good ones. Haven't tasted this particular one but Dão has some obvious potential for truly exciting brancos. Provided there are some acid-giving grapes in the blend: pure Encruzados tend to be a bit too rich and creamy for my personal taste.
I reckon it's the Cercial - and the old vines - that adds crispness here.
I've had some 1960s whites from the Bussaco Palace Hotel (they have a private brand of reds and whites) that were very exciting, too.
Best, Nerval
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Thanks Jamie.
Is it too much, to ask you about your comments related the Esporao?
In the absence of Jamie's opinion, the Esporao is a decent wine and quite well-priced, but not that interesting IMO.
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