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New
Douro 2004 tasting
Three more
producers: Vallado, Xisto and Macedos
Vineyards
at Vallado
Quinta
do Vallado
Quinta do Vallado, Vilarinho dos Freires, 5050-364 Peso
da Régua, Portugal
Website: www.quintadovallado.com
Vallado
is on a bit of a roll. It’s operated by the sixth generation of
the Ferriera family (related to the famous Dona Antónia), and in
1998 the vineyards were restructured dramatically: 38 hectares of
the 64 under vine are newly planted, while 26 hectares of the best
old vineyards were kept. The winery was also modernized at this
time. The result? Impressive, modern-styled fruit driven wines.
Particularly interesting is the varietal Sousão: it’s the only
one I’m aware of from the Douro.
Quinta
do Vallado 2004
Fresh, supple sweet dark fruits nose. Nice dark fruits
dominate the clean, fruity palate. A nice wine with good
freshness. Very good+ 88/100
Quinta
do Vallado Reserva 2004 (cask sample)
Very deep colour. Beautifully focused dark fruits nose which
is quite rich and bold. Intense, bold, sweetly fruited palate
retains its focus. Lovely.Very good/excellent 92/100
Quinta
do Vallado Sousão 2004 (cask sample)
Sousão is a grape variety that belongs to a select band of
grapes that have coloured flesh as well as skins, known as
teinturiers (another well known example is Alicante Bouschet).
Incredible colour. Dark, intense fruity nose with lovely
fruitiness and a fresh edge. Intense, bold, rustic, spicy palate.
Really wild stuff. Very good/excellent 91/100
Xisto
A collaboration between the Roquettes of Quinta do Crasto and
Jean-Michel Cazes of Lynch-Bages, Xisto is named after the
Portuguese term for the predominant Douro soil type: schist.
Xisto 2004
Supple, smooth elegant dark fruits nose: sweet and rounded,
with a tarry edge. Smells ambitious. The palate is smooth and
sweetly fruited, with good concentration and a touch of new oak. A
well behaved, rounded sort of wine that is quite supple. It’s
the Douro tamed: there’s no wildness here. While it’s not
really my thing, it’s very nice in this style. Very
good/excellent 91/100
Quinta
de Macedos
Quinta de Macedos, Sarzedinho, 5130 Ervedosa do Douro,
Portugal
www.quintamacedos.com
Macedos is an old vineyard in the Rio Torto valley that
was purchased by Paul and Philippa Reynolds in 1998. There are
just under 7 hectares of old vines (planted in 1920 and 1945),
which are tended organically. The vineyard has bits that face
north, west and east, and its elevation is between 100 and 200
metres (quite low, which in the Douro means very warm). The grapes
are hand picked, foot trodden and vinified traditionally. New
Allier oak is used for maturation. These are remarkable,
individual wines that are among the richest, sweetest and ripest
of all Douro table wines. In their style, they are excellent.
Quinta de Macedos Vinha Velha 2004
Very deep coloured. Very
ripe and sweet with lush dark fruits: almost over the top. It’s
concentrated and a bit Port-like, showing soft jammy fruit and
ripe tannins. Moreish, and an excellent wine in this style. Very
good/excellent 93/100
Lagar
de Macedos Vinha Velha 2004
Very dark colour. Smooth, dark, rich nose with lush
liqueur-like fruit. Very ripe and sweet raspberry and blackberry
jam palate. Another lush, moreish wine. Very good/excellent 91/100
Back
to New Douro 2004 tasting
Wines tasted 05 and 07/06
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