Reviews

Issue: December 2006
Journalist: Kim Marcus
Wine: Red Wine Vinzelo 2005
Recommended Wines from Portugal: Top Values. TOP VALUE

Issue: April 2007
Journalist: Joshua Greene
Wine: Vintage Port 2004
Heady fruit extract fills this youthful, undeveloped wine, its mineral tannins glinting like mica in the sunny warmth of alcohol. There's a green, stemmy scent that should add complexity to the wine as it ages, enveloped in the warmth of schist and black, satin-textured fruit. Probably best ten years from the vintage. 91

Issue: June 2006
Journalist: Joe Czerwinski
Wine: Vintage Port 2003
Still in the flush of youth, this creamy-textured Vintage Port strikes all the right notes, from complex aromas to powerful flavors. Blackberry, plum and earth notes finish long, buttressed by supple tannins. Based on the rapid maturation of the 2001 and 2002, drink this one from 2010-2020. 92

Issue: April 2007
Journalist: Joshua Greene
Wine: Touriga Nacional 2004
Touriga taken to saturated ripeness, this develops a range of unusual aromas, from blueberry jam and tobacco to violets and ginger. It's a big, tannic, smoky wine for brisket. 88

Issue: November 2007
Journalist: Kim Marcus
Wine: Red Wine Cister da Ribeira 2005
A ripe style, with dried cherry and red plum flavours. The finish is filled with smoke, spice and hints of pomegranate. Drink now. 12.500 cases made.86 - BEST VALUE

Issue: June 2003
Journalist: James Suckling
Wine: 10 years old Port Wine
1665 cases made. Outstanding 10 year old. Rich aromas of caramel raisin and light spice open to a medium-bodied palate, with a medium sweetness and long toffee finish.90

Issue: June 2007
Journalist: Kim Marcus
Wine: Red Wine Vinzelo 2005
Very juicy and fresh-tasting, with good structure and red plum and raspberry flavors. Drink now through 2008. 86

Issue: April 2007
Journalist: Roger Voss
Wine: Red Wine Reserva 2003
A wine that shows firm, slightly vegetal characters initially, but then does open up to give ripe, but very dry, tannins and some intense power. The acidity is prominent at this stage in its evolution, so it should age well over 5-10 years. 89

Issue: November 2007
Journalist: Kim Marcus
Wine: Quinta de Ventozelo 2004
Minerally and sanguine-tasting, with lots of fig, iron and dark plum notes. The finish is filled with coffee and smoke.88

Issue: November 2007
Journalist: Kim Marcus
Wine: Red Wine Reserva 2003
This is filled with jammy flavours of blackberry, raspberry and cherry. A spice and mineral note, with some orange rind, enlivens the finish.88

Issue: June 2006
Journalist: Joe Czerwinski
Wine: Vintage Port 2002
Already throwing considerable sediment and possessed of a creamy, supple mouth feel, this is a Vintage Port that no one suspects should be consumed young. Enjoy its lush blueberry fruit and chocolate and spice complexity over the next 10 years. 92

Issue: June 2006
Journalist: Joe Czerwinski
Wine: Quinta de Ventozelo 2002
This Douro red speaks clearly of its origins, blending anise and mineral notes with ripe fruit. Resin and spice notes add interest to the black cherry flavors, backed by just a hint of toasty oak. Structured and firm. 87

Issue: November 2007
Journalist: Kim Marcus
Wine: Red Wine Vinzelo 2006
A spicy, fruity red, with red plum and berry flavours and hints of maple and butter. Drink now. 84

Issue: June 2003
Journalist: James Suckling
Wine: 20 years old Port Wine
Very old smell, almost dusty and varnishy but there’s lots of ripe fruit. Full-bodied, with raisin, prune and treacle flavors. Long finish. A bit rustic but it’s got character. Tastes older than 20 years. Try it.89

Issue: August 2006
Journalist: Roger Voss
Wine: 10 years old Port Wine
This is a very easy, light and fresh style, with sweet caramel flavors balanced by sweet figs and milk chocolate. It finishes clean, with just a touch of acidity. 87

Issue: July 2006
Journalist: Luís Antunes
Wine: Rosé Wine Vinzelo 2005
Aroma a palha seca, muito carregado na cor, fruta presente mas um pouco escondida. Bem na prova de boca, parece mais alcoólico do que é, um rosé para a mesa, não para aperitivo 14.5

Issue: December 2005
Journalist: Joe Czerwinski
Wine: Red Wine Reserva 2001
Another winner from Quinta de Ventozelo, the 2001 Reserva features complex, Rhône-like scents of leather, game and spice alongside bold cherry flavors. Smooth and supple, with a long, piquant finish endowed with crisps acids and soft tannins. 89

Issue: January 2006
Journalist: Kim Marcus
Wine: Touriga Franca 2003
Has a nice richness, showing red plum and raspberry flavors, with some tea and cola notes on the finish. 85

Issue: June 2006
Journalist: Joe Czerwinski.
Wine: LBV 2000
A very ripe style, with baked plum and prune aromas and flavors supported by hints of pastry crusts and dried spices. Medium to full in body, with soft tannins and a long, spicy finish. 89

Issue: April 2006
Journalist: Victor Harradine
Wine: Quinta de Ventozelo 2003
The grapes used for Port - Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, plus Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) - are combined here to create a round, robust, flavourful wine. Add to the mix the heat of the 2003 vintage and you have a top-notch, boldly flavoured wine that will be more than a match for many intense meat dishes.

Issue: January 2007
Journalist: Kim Marcus
Wine: Touriga Nacional 2004
Medium- to full-bodied and loaded with zesty red berry and dried cherry flavors. Notes of Asian spice fill the tannic finish.87

Issue: December 2005
Journalist: Joe Czerwinski
Wine: Touriga Nacional 2003
Lovely aromas of blackerries and coffee are laced with hints of cinnamon and vanilla. Bursts with fresh fruit —blueberries and blackberries— on the palate, but the flavors aren't simple, they're backed by layers of minerality and stone dust. Supple enough to drink now, but should hold up to five years, maybe longer. 90 - EDITOR'S CHOICE

Issue: August 2006
Journalist: Roger Voss
Wine: 20 years old Port Wine
Layers of dried fruits and prunes give a fruity character to this gently sweet wine. It’s very elegant and delicate, but certainly very drinkable. 88

Issue: December 2005
Journalist: Joe Czerwinski
Wine: Cister da Ribeira 2001
Presents admirably pure black-cherry fruit in a medium-bodied format. What it lacks in weight and texture it makes up for in flavour, delivering fruit, mineral and spice in a harmonious package that builds in intensity on the finish. 87 - BEST BUY

Issue: April 2005
Journalist: Joshua Greene
Wine: Porto Ruby Reserva
Fine quality for a reserve blend, this offers a layered scent of plum and esteva. The richness of the aroma continues in the mouth, sweet as almond rocha, still dynamic with spice. For Stilton. 87

Issue: January 2007
Journalist: Kim Marcus
Wine: Tinta Roriz 2004
A firm red, with plenty of dried cherry and crushed red fruit flavors, followed by notes of iron and stone on the lively finish.87

Issue: September 2005
Journalist: Victor Harradine
Wine: Touriga Nacional 2001
What a nose - cola, cherries and leather for certain, with hints of coffee and leather. This dry red beauty, made by the new owners, illustrates why all their vineyards are rated Class "A" for Port and why this grape is considered the absolute best. Sour cherry and licorice flavours extend to the lengthy finish on this full-bodied gem. If you haven't cottoned on to the quality explosion of Portuguese wine, pick this.

Issue: December 2005
Journalist: Joe Czerwinski
Wine: Touriga Franca 2003
Smoky, toasty and vanilla-laden on the nose, but turns juicy and filled with cherry-berry fruit in the mouth. Medium-bodied, with more vanilla and some dry, woody notes on the finish. 86

Issue: April 2005
Journalist: Joshua Greene
Wine: Quinta de Ventozelo 2000
The scent of Douro schist runs straight through this wine, the tannins in the end carrying as much of that dry stony edge as the initial aromatics. The texture feels succulent rather than weighty, the exposition of flavor sleek and clean. An elegant wine from a quinta in São João da Pesqueira, this has plenty of tannin to sustain it in the cellar. 93

Issue: April 2005
Journalist: Joshua Greene
Wine: Tinta Roriz 2001
Roriz is the Douro name for tempranillo, presented here as a vibrant red with black pepper spice. The lean, supple texture and deep intensity of flavor parallel the structure of a finely grown Rhône. This is lively and dynamic now, and has plenty of stamina for age.92

Issue: January 2006
Journalist: Kim Marcus
Wine: Cister da Ribeira 2003
Interesting style, crisp and refined. Bright cherry and red berry flavors, with spicy notes and plenty of structure. A finish of bittersweet chocolate. Drink now through 2010. 5000 cases made. 88

Issue: Mar/Apr 2006
Journalist: Stephen Tanzer
Wine: Touriga Nacional 2003
Deep ruby. Exotic, oak-influenced bouquet of ripe cassis, blackberry liqueur, baking spices and vanilla. Rich and intense in flavor but also with very good energy and focus; tangy, fresh dark berries with an overlay of mocha and licorice candy. Young and ageworthy but awfully sexy right now, especially with some aeration. 89

Issue: September 2004
Journalist: Victor Harradine
Wine: LBV 1998
This LBV is made in a more traditional style, meaning that it can be cellared 2-4 years, it has not been filtered and may need decanting. Aromas are very attractive, recalling chocolate, plum and cherry drops. Sweet with a good tannin grip. Medium-bodied with a lingering finish.

Now on the cutting edge, after massive investment of millions of Euros, this historically-important house is producing world class product. Intense aromas of chocolate, licorice and dried fruit blast from the glass. The hugely-flavoured nectar is reminiscent of fruit cake spice, Bing cherries and black licorice. This was (full bunch) foot trodden and left unfiltered. Decant and drink with huge chunks of Belgian dark chocolate. Will warm up a cold snowy evening.

Issue: Oct/Nov 2003
Journalist: Robert Parker
Wine: Vintage Port 2000
Generous quantities of sweet cassis and blackberry fruit are present in this medium-bodied, soft, straightforward but delicious vintage port. While not a heavyweight, it is well made and ideal for drinking between 2005 – 2015.88

Issue: April 2005
Journalist: Joshua Greene
Wine: Quinta de Ventozelo Reserva 2000
When first poured, there’s perceptible red fruit and spice along with a silky texture, but it’s completely surrounded by new oak. That oak weighs it down until the wine has taken on enough air, when it begins to grow firmer, the wood smoothing into other flavors. Cellar this and it may improve markedly.90

Issue: 2005 Decanter World Wine Awards
Wine: LBV 2000
Fine, porty nose. Some spice. Good weight of fruit. Clean berry fruit with reasonable length. Rich, firm tannin. Well balanced. Now.Commended

Issue: January 2007
Journalist: Kim Marcus
Wine: Touriga Franca 2004
Has a peppery aroma, with flavors to match, as well as red plum, berry and plenty of tannins.84

Issue: October 2005
Wine: Tinta Roriz 2003
If you tasted this in a dark room, you might think it was a well-oaked white wine, the fruit being tropical, the citric acidity softened by the oak. It's unusual and it may develop in the bottle or with food, like cabrito asado.87

Issue: June 2003
Journalist: Kim Marcus
Wine: Quinta de Ventozelo Reserva 2000
Well-sculpted and muscular, with plenty of red plum and red berry flavors that are just entering maturity. Balanced, with a bracing freshness. Licorice and mineral notes on the long finish. Drink now through 2007.90

Issue: Jan/Feb 2003
Journalist: Stephen Tanzer
Wine: Vintage Port 2000
Full medium ruby. Dark berries, dark chocolate and hints of old wood and nut skin in the nose. Sweet, lush and chunky, with good concentration. Finishes with rather rustic tannins. Should develop quickly. 87

Issue: December 2003
Journalist: Richard Mayson
Wine: Vintage Port 2000
Dense. Glossy but with some good berry fruit. Very good solid fruit and tannins, tight and mouth filling. Finishes with a flourish. 10 Years+.Recommended

Issue: September 2002
Journalist: João Afonso
Wine: Cister da Ribeira 2000
Chama atenção no aroma pela frescura e vivacidade da fruta, muita limpa e de qualidade. O vinho é todo ele orientado para a fruta fresca (morangos e amoras) mas não é um vinho superficial: tem bons taninos, boa harmonia de conjunto é apelativo e bebe-se com descontraído prazer. Uma bela estreia de que se fizeram 600.000 litros (!) e que se vende a bom preço.16

Issue: April 2005
Journalist: Joshua Greene
Wine: Cister da Ribeira 2001
Exceptional Value. A Fresh Douro country wine, this is filled with scents of esteva and pine. The flavors are clean, the texture supple, and it only improves with air. Pour it with cured sausages and sheep's cheese.86

Issue: December 2002
Journalist: Bartolomé Sánchez
Wine: Vintage Port 2000
Fruta escandalosa, pura y neta. Muy fresco, de equilibrado dulzor, buena expresión frutosa en el paladar, uva negra y chocolate con final amargoso. 2002 a 2020 16

Issue: March 2004
Journalist: João Afonso
Wine: Touriga Franca 2001
Bonita cor, com profundidade, aroma com presença, de notas vegetais e um fundo de mentol que alegra o conjunto da fruta. Mediano de corpo, taninos presentes mas finos, ligeira sensação tostada tudo com bom equilíbrio 16

Issue: nº 14, 2005
Journalists:Hélio Loureiro, Jorge Sousa, José Silva
Wine: Porto Reserva
Cor não muito fechada, vermelho acastanhado, limpo, com boa lágrima. Aroma intenso, profundo, vinoso e com boa presença de rebuçado e fruta algo passada. Vai bem com um queijo de Nisa a ouvir a voz suave de João Gilberto a cantar "Desafinado", enquanto somos arrebatados pelas imagens de Total Recall (Paul Verhoeven), o sabor do futuro, no quotidiano. Ainda aguenta mais uns anos, mas já se bebe bem.