2008 Cabriz 'Colheita Seleccionada' (Dao)

Source: Sterling

Consumption Date: 7/30/2012

Notes: Mild aromas of dried cherries and raisins with a hint of dry leaves.  Solid ripe cherry and black raspberry flavors with hints of spice and dry leaves.  Finishes long with more rich fruit, additional spice, a dry cedar note, and a subtle minerality.  Moderate plus tannins.

This has been my first wine from Portugal’s Dao region and frankly it has blown me away.  It has tons of fruit and enough other flavor components to give it a pleasant, if not dramatic, complexity while offering a surprising smoothness and elegance.  Not as deep and complex as other Portuguese wines I have had, but extremely good for its price point.  If I were to buy wine by the case for a party or everyday consumption, this is definitely the wine I would choose.  Well deserving of its recognition as a Wine Spectator Top 100 wine.

Value: Unbelievable

1998 Chateau Haut-Corbin (St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe)

Source: Viscount

Consumption Date: 7/22/2012

Notes: Mild aroma of spice, graphite, and dry wood with a faint hint of dark, ripe fruit.  Plenty of spice and dry wood flavors with a stronger fruit core (plum (?) and blackberries).  More fruit and spice with a mild, but distinct, graphite minerality on the long finish.  Moderate tannin.

This wine has been a bit of a surprise to me, as it is very silky, refined, and elegant, but does not have the power and intensity I normally associate with Bordeaux.  I am led to believe that this may be characteristic of St. Emilion wines, as Merlot (as opposed to Cabernet Sauvignon) tends to be a higher proportion of the blend.  Many of the flavors I associate with Bordeaux are present, but in muted form.  This wine also lacks somewhat in complexity (when compared to the Burgundies which I generally prefer).  I also wonder if it would have been fruitier and perhaps more dramatic, if not less elegant, if drunk younger.  Still, it is quite enjoyable and promises to pair well with a grilled grass-fed ribeye.

Value: Good to very good

1964 Monte Real Rioja Gran Reserva

Source: PJs

Consumption Date: 7/21/2012

Notes: Mild aroma of dark fruit and flowers.  Light bodied with delicate flavors of dried flowers (roses/violets?) and dark fruit with hints of earth, spice, tar and a fine iron minerality.  Moderate finish of fruit, earth, and minerals.  Mild to moderate tannin.

This wine is a testament to the ageability of fine Rioja.  The wine has a pleasing light, ethereal quality, yet with plenty of complexity.  It retains some of the fruit, spiciness, and dryness characteristic of Rioja, with many additional complex aged bottle flavors (some for which I do not have adequate descriptors).  While in general I prefer wines that have more primary fruit, it is certainly pleasant to drink something with significant bottle age as an occasional diversion.

Value: Good to very good value