Alicante Bouschet

From Portugal, this is a  blend of 56% Alicante Bouschet, 30% Touriga Nacional, and 14% Syrah.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with plums, black currants, slight baking spice and a bit of chocolate.  Medium to full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is tasty with plums, currants and slight dark chocolate.  Good finish.  This is an excellent value.  It is drinking well now but should go another 5 years.  Nice on its own, this will work well with many foods.  It would be great with Rotisserie Chicken.  

This is another great value from this winery (See our note on the Silk Route Smooth Red Blend).  It is a blend of Alicante Bouschet (50%); Shiraz (30%); and Touriga Nacional (20%).  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is big and intense with aromas of black cherries, black currants, cherries, and dark chocolate.  Medium  bodied.  Good balance.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this drinks well right now.  It may still improve as it comes together more.  Flavors of black cherries, black currents, black pepper and some dark chocolate.  Nice finish.  Drink over the next five to eight y

This is a blend of 50% Alicante Bouschet, 30% Touriga Nacional, 10% Syrah, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from Portugal.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is lighter with cherries, some spice, and a slight chocolate note.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  Fresher on the palate with cherries and black cherries.  Moderate finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work nicely with meat or fowl dishes.  A nice choice with Chili.  Drink over the next three to five years.

This is 100% Alicante Bouschet.  Purple in color with ruby and some blue swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with boysenberries, black cherries, spice, and slight vanilla notes.  Medium to firm tannins.  Full bodied.  Well balanced.  On the palate, black raspberries, black cherries and char.  Long finish.  This is a robust wine that drinks well on its own and can hold up to big (and spicy) foods.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

In France and Portugal, you’ll find Alicante Bouschet. But few other countries make it. So to find a stand-alone bottling from the Symington family (best know for their Ports), my interest was piqued. Soft tannins and mild acidity give way to blackberry, blueberry, ripe black cherry, a hint of huckleberry jam, and back notes of sage, wildflower and rose water. Unique unto itself, this is definitely a wine worth seeking out, if for no other reason than you won’t find this grape bottled very often.

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 a sample from a winery that is not yet in commercial production.  It is 65% Öküzgözü and 35% Alicante.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is interesting with black cherries and pomegranate.  Medium tannins, yet a soft texture.  On the palate, cherries and black cherries.  Clean.  This drinks easy but lacks a bit of structure.  No idea on the barrel regimen but perhaps some new oak would be a good thing.  The fruit seems pure and it is delicious.  It seems like it should drink well for the next seven to ten years.  

This is a project of a developing winery, not yet in commercial production.  It is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Alicante from Turkey.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, pine, and black cherries.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, tart cherries.  Nice acidity.  It is somewhat a trade off in getting the Cabernet ripe without losing the acidity, but in this case a touch more ripeness would have been better.  Still, it drinks easy for a first effort.  The Alicante does seem to add some plushness to the wine.  It will work better with food.  It is

This a delicious blend from Portugal made up of Alicante Bouschet (60%),Trincadeira (20%), and Touriga Nacional (20%).  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, plums and slight black licorice.  A rich, velvety texture.  Firm tannins at the moment.  Black raspberries and also an interesting quality that has the taste of black raspberry seeds.  Long finish.  This may yet improve for the next five to seven years and should drink well for another five to seven after that.  This will work well with venison but also just a (veggie) burger off the grill.  An excellen