Today I went for dinner at a friends place who had just returned from a trip to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. I wanted to see pictures of these lovely countries so we drank some fantastic wines (my friend is a Portugal-freak) including a sensational new find to me: the Colares! My friend loves this wine, and as a fellow Musar enthusiast, I fully understand why.
I brought along a Niepoort barrel sample that Dirk kindly sent a while back.
Collares (sic!!) Reserva tinto Viuva José Gomes da Silva&Filhos Colheita de 1996
Anyone know why it is spelled (several times) on the label with two l's?
Well, the colour is orange tinged. The nose is marvellous! Earthy, rustic, with plentiful VA, red berries - very reminiscent of Musar. The palate is wild!! Tangy, harsh and rasping acidity, formidable tannins, yet lovely concentration of fruit also. Incredible depth on both the nose and palate. This stuff rocks as much as Musar! I've never been so excited about any wine before! And I've never used so many exclamation marks in a TN before either!!
I HAVE to get my hands on more Colares.
Niepoort Charme 2004
A barrel sample kindly sent by Dirk van der Niepoort. He had sent me another sample before but has changed the blend somewhat. This is certainly more elegant than the last one with less obvious oak and malo. The previous smelled of strawberry joghurt. This one has crushed red berries, almost but not quite jammy, a hint of oak. The palate is gloriously fruity, with decent acidity and high but soft tannins. An unashamedly modern, yet elegant wine. A great example of its kind.
Chateau Kefraya Lacrima d'Oro 2003
Foxy, spicy, honeyed and floral scent - almost like some native American hybrid! The palate is musky, very sweet, low in acid, but somehow still perfectly balanced. A very strange wine, but I liked it alot. The first Kefraya that I have truly enjoyed.
Cheers,
Otto