Instore tasting downtown, 24 participants. Very much the usual enthusiastic crowd for this nice evening. Food was pot-roast pork loin with rice and pepper julienne, tasty!
As I have mentioned before, one of the owners of the store, DeVines, is from Portugal so we have an amazing selection of wines.
For reception, we poured the NV Luis Pato Bruto Vinho Espumante Maris Gomes ($20). Fairly dry, nice mousse, peach and apricot. There are two sparkling wines from Pato, look out for the Rose! BTW, no cab, merlot etc anywhere on this estate.
The first white was the`06 Morgadio da Torre Alvarinho, Vinho Verde.
Standard fare, well-known wine, crisp, mineral, lemon tones. Not bone-dry but well liked ($19). The next white was a winner for many, the `06 Castello d`Alba Reserva White, Douro. Blend of Codega do Larinho, Rabigato, Viosinho. Mango, passion fruit, orange peel on the nose. Crisp grapefruit, nice length, off-dry, creamy. Excellent value for $16, lots of applause for this one.
We then sampled 3 Douro reds from CARM, first wine being the `02 Quinta da Urze Tinta Roriz. Raspberry, dark cherry nose with spice on the finish. nice mid-palate. Medium-bodied, soft tannins, "little rustic on the finish" was a comment. I liked this and have some in the cellar ($27). Should have purchased the next red however, the `02 Tinta Franca, my WOTN. Tad funky on the nose, cassis, blackberry. Ripe berry fruits, hint of minerals and mild oak. Rich, long finish. Good value for $27.
The last of the three CARM reds was the `02 100% Tinta Nacional. Darkist color of the three, big nose, granite soil I believe. Hint of sediment, went great with the pan-fried peppers. Full-bodied, wild berry fruits, good tannins. Was also very popular with the participants, $30. To finish the tasting, a Bairrada that was new to me, the `05 Campolargo Rol de Coisas Antigas. . Handsome label, was decanted for 2 hrs. Deep intense color, clay terroir, some smoke on the nose from the Baga varietal. Kirsch on the nose plus bay leaf, pepper and chocolate. Touch of new/old world mixed in, blueberry, elegant, spicy. Tad more expensive at $37 but worth it. Not sure how long to cellar however.
I think many of us should think Portugal more often. This was a very good tasting, I will try to find the CARM website for you all.