The Flight - Portugal 4 - 8pm $16
No other country can match Portugal’s range of indigenous wine grape varieties, a rich palette for winemakers that goes back to the Bronze Age. Tartessians, Romans, and Phoenicians introduced winegrapes here, and viticulture eventually spread across Portugal’s diverse geography. Isolated from the rest of Europe, many unique wine varieties developed there as vines accustomed themselves to extremes in soil, weather and altitude.
Now, in a small country with over 250 unique, indigenous wine grape varieties to choose from, it is not surprising that Portuguese winemakers usually draw from a variety of grape sources to create balanced, flavorful blends. The result is that Portugal is blessed with a treasure chest of unique and distinctive wines.
Portuguese blends, with their distinctive combinations and unique character, reward people seeking diversity. These wines, at their best, often from small but distinct regions, combine ancient winemaking wisdom with the latest scientific and technical knowledge to put the wonder and pleasure back in wine.
Altano Douro Branco 2023 $15 - (Malvasia Fina and Viosinho) Crisp orchard fruits, a touch of citrus, and refreshing minerality.
Quinta do Infantado 2023 Infantado Junior Palhete $20 - 75% native red varieties/25% white varieties. From a single hectare of 40-year-old vines: a field blend of red and white varieties, planted at almost 2000 feet in elevation on a schistous, north-facing hillside in the Douro. The name of a legal category of Portuguese wine, "Palhete" is Portuguese for the British term "claret" (from the French "clairet" originally), historically applied to the pale red wines of Bordeaux wines going back to the 14th-15th centuries.
Altano Douro Tinto 2022 $14 - (Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca) Altano reflects its Douro origins perfectly: generous aromas of wildflowers (rockrose and lavender); full-bodied structure with fresh and assertive fruit (plums and black cherries); spicy, peppery tones, all seamlessly held together.
Gota Wines Mirra Alentejo Red 2021 $17 - Fresh and juicy wine dominated by notes of black fruit with aromas of black olive and spices, truffle and leather with a structure of soft tannins that surround the fruit.
Nicolau de Almeida 2021 Baixo Corgo Tinto $21 - The blend comprises Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, and Tinta Roriz. The aromatic profile is layered with notes of blackberries, elderberries, and blueberries, complemented by subtle hints of pepper and forest floor.
Bonus Wines
Quinta Várzea da Pedra Branca Resrva 2018 $27 - Nose of peach pit and apricot crumble, pecan pie, flint, artisanal apple sauce with cinnamon. There’s a soaring nuttyness too. The palate is full of minerality, pecans and peaches and pineapple and green apple, a raging torrent of acidity, and the finish that echoes with white fruits and baking spices.
Nicolau de Almeida, Mateus 2021 Cima Corgo Tinto $23 - Cima Corgo is a blend of Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Sousão, and Tinta Amarela. The grapes come from the schist soils of mid-Douro region, which has an almost Mediterranean climate. This vintage presents a more elegant side, with juicy red berry fruit, and bright acidity. Medium-bodied, but well structured but it's plush tannins, notes of eucalyptus, white pepper and fresh herbs balance the dark fruit profile.
Bonus Bonus
Filipa Pato 2022 Nossa Calcario Baga $39 - 100% Baga from a selection of low-yielding centenary vineyards. Deep crimson. Deep-flavoured and subtle. And so appetising that for the first time in this massive tasting I,m tempted to swallow this! Tannins are like the most luxuriously polished soft leather.