Portugal

• Alentejo
• Bairrada
• Dao
• Douro
• Madeira
• Pico
• Ribatejo
• Vinho Verde

This is 100% Touriga Nacional.  Purple in color, slight ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is off a bit with some volatile acidity and a little funk.  Also some chocolate and slight cherry notes.  Medium bodied.  Soft texture.  On the palate, this has cherry fruit.  Easy drinking.  Not much depth.  Clipped finish.  This bottle has no obvious flaws other than perhaps some VA on the nose, and its nice, but should be better.  Not sure if this is a proper bottle.  Worth checking in on.  

Still very young but drinking well.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has dark chocolate, cherries, dried cherries and slight sandalwood.  Full bodied.  Viscous.  Slightly sweet.  Deep.  Light tannins.  On the palate, dark chocolate covered cherries.  Slight warming on the finish.  This drink well for another twenty years or more.  Nice on its own or would be great with a chocolate dessert.  

Nice to revisit this.  At age 19, this is still youthful but starting to show some refinement.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with chocolate covered raisins and some red raspberries.  Lots of energy.  Slightly viscous.  On the palate, chocolate and raisins.  Sweet, not cloying.  Some heat on the finish.  This should easily go another fifteen or twenty years.  Great on its own or with some type of blue cheese.

The grape Antão Vaz is believed to be native to Portugal and definitely thrives here in warm dry climates, and is one of the most common grapes in this region. Here it delivers a light, clean and bright acidity leading into lychee, light lemon-lime, guava, apricot, mild resin, wildflower, and lemon candied almonds. The beauty of a good white wine is that the acidity makes it appropriate for a diversity of foods, and this 2021 has an abundance of acidity to work with lighter dishes as well as heavier meals.

You may know the Symington family from the wide number of Port wine they produce, but they’ve also excelled at producing still red and white wines for years. Their latest venture, this delicate little wine, is worth looking into. A blend of traditional Port grapes, including Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca, this offers blackberry, blueberry, huckleberry, black cherry with soft notes of strawberry, cocoa, and plum. The wine offers a terrific acidity and being unoaked, it still has a depth of character that many unoaked wines do not.

As a non-vintage wine, Six Grapes Port does show slight variation from year to year. This offering, with its new label and bottle design is the best NV to date. I have tasted Six Grapes upon its release every year for more than a decade and can attest that it’s moving in a direction that is more comprehensive as a signature wine. This new bottling shows ripe lush and opulent fruit without being overly sweet or cloying. Comprised, not of six grapes but actually eight in this case, the acidity balances out the fruit, the tannic structure balances out the sweetness.

A bit lighter in style than say the '94 or '00 vintages, but drinking well nevertheless.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black raspberries and chocolate covered raisins.  Medium to full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, slightly sweet chocolate covered cherries.  There is a nice depth and complexity.  Drink over the next ten years.  A nice match with a chocolate dessert.  

100% Aicante Bouschet raised in 300L French oak barrels.  Purple in color, garnet at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, spice and slight earthiness,  Firm tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, more like black cherries with underlying char.  Depth if tight.  Long finish,  Some warmth,  This needs some cellaring or air but is still delicious,  Drink over the next ten to twelve years although the winemaker told me 15 years plus!  This would go nicely with Korean BBQ short ribs or other food off the grill,  

This is 100% Touriga Nacional.  Raised in large barrels for 11 months. Garnet in color with some magenta swirls, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, violets and slight spice.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  Creamy texture.  On the palate, black cherries, slight cough drop note and anise.  Nice finish in which the tannins come out more,  Some warmth,  This is great on its own but would be nice with roasted duck or chicken.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  Great value.

 This is a blend of Antão Vaz 40%, Perrum 20%, Rabo de Ovelha 20%, and Monteudo 20%.  Very interesting and good!  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemons, lemon verbena, minerals and summer savory.  Velvety texture.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, minerals and lemons.  Lots of depth and complexity.  Semi-tart lemons on the finish.  I was told in other vintages this is done as an orange/amber wine.  This is very clean, but the complexity is great no matter what color.  Great on its own but this should be very food friendly.  Seafood is a great choice.