Portuguese Wine

Expert Review

The Wine Advocate 91 Points | My favorite of the three tawnys reviewed in this segment is the 20 Year Old Tawny. It offers an amber color, a spicy, tobacco, cedary, smoky, complex nose, dense, rich flavors that belie the color's aged, feeble look, and an expansive personality. It is a classic example of how delicious and complex a 20 year old tawny port can be. Tawny ports are aged in wood from essentially a solera system for the number of years indicated on the bottle. In most cases I prefer the younger ten or twenty year Tawnys to the ancient forty to fifty year old wines, but it is really a matter of taste. I tend to like more fruit rather than the oxidized and aged characteristics of the very old tawnys. 

Winemaker Description 

Winemaker Description 

Black is a revolutionary new style of port. The bright aromatics, incredible freshness and perfect balance bring it outside the stodgy "vintage-character" category. Enjoy it any time: chilled, before dinner, after, for a seductive edge to cocktails, as an indulgence with chocolate. The custom-designed bottle is distinctive, modern yet timeless, reflecting the uniqueness of Noval Black. It is simply the most beautiful port bottle we've seenn

Expert Reviews

Jeb Dunnuck 91 Points | I always love this cuvée, which offers tons of character for a great price. Classic Noval notes of spicy red and blue fruits, orange blossom, cigar, tobacco, and candied mint emerge from the NV Black, and It's round, supple, and full-bodied on the palate, with nicely balanced sugar, a layered yet elegant mouthfeel, and a great finish. 

The Wine Advocate 90 Points | 'Black' is a new blend produced from classic varieties that do not make it into the Quinta do Noval vintage. There are ripe blackberries, tar, smoke and orange liqueur on the nose that takes time to open. The palate is medium-bodied, very sleek on the entry, fleshy black fruits, sloe, spice and just a hint of white pepper, leading to a very focused finish.

Producer Description 

Like the rest of Quinta do Noval, the Nacional parcel ripened early in 2020 and was harvested in one day on 17th September. Deepest inky crimson-black colour; sullen and dense on the nose but with underlying opulence; amazing depth and concentration, nothing raw about this despite its youth. Broad, ripe, gravelly tannins, focused with glorious spice and richness. Big and broad on the finish but with remarkable freshness and finesse for a hot year. A ‘wow’ of a wine with a lifetime or more in bottle ahead.

Expert Review

Wine Spectator 99 Points | A bird of a different feather, this shows remarkable purity for the vintage, along with a rippling tension that sets it completely apart. Delivers a mix of cassis, plum sauce and açaí berry compote on the fruit side, along with bramble, salted licorice, cast iron and bittersweet chocolate notes filling in throughout. Massively structured, too, and there's even a flash of violet at the very end—which takes a while to get to. A special wine. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. Best from 2040 through 2070.

Decanter 99 Points | Like the rest of Quinta do Noval, the Nacional parcel ripened early in 2020 and was harvested in one day on 17th September. Deepest inky crimson-black colour; sullen and dense on the nose but with underlying opulence; amazing depth and concentration, nothing raw about this despite its youth. Broad, ripe, gravelly tannins, focused with glorious spice and richness. Big and broad on the finish but with remarkable freshness and finesse for a hot year. A ‘wow’ of a wine with a lifetime or more in bottle ahead.

Vinous 99 Points | The 2020 Nacional was picked from 1 to 22 September, a relatively short harvest. It has a magnificent, exquisitely defined bouquet with a purity that bowls you over, perhaps even more intense than the 2019 Nacional tasted alongside. The palate is extraordinarily pure and intense, slightly viscous in texture, with layers of cassis, black cherries, blood orange and a dab of spice. Seamless on the finish. This is a worthy follow-up to the stellar 2019 Nacional. The two will fight between themselves for supremacy. Tasted at the Quinta do Noval tasting at Spring restaurant in London.

Winemaker Description 

Deep chestnut with golden highlights. Bouquet of dried fruits, spices, honey and candied fruit. Sweet, soft and complex, with a long aftertaste of roasted dried fruits.

Winemaker Description

Brilliant appearance with a dark purple rim and concentrated depth of colour. The aroma is fine and subdued with only a hint of primary dark fruits and some spice. The true potential and style of this wine really comes together on the palate with wonderful integration of dark fruits with a grainy tannic structure, pairing volume with amazing balance and elegance and an impressive finish. In conclusion, the primary fruit on the palate is appealing at this stage, but it's the balanced tannic structure which indicates great ageing potential for the future. 

This is unoaked and comes in at 11% alcohol. The purity and the modest ripeness both allow the freshness to have a more prominent place. This is a lot of fun to drink.

Light in colour. Aroma of red fruits, some spice and a mineral undertone. Fresh, truly enticing and full of precision.

Winemaker Description

Dow's Fine White is made from selected white grapes (principally Malvasia Fina and Gouveio – better known as Verdelho). The wine is fermented at cool temperatures to retain the natural character of the fruit. It mostly ages in wood, taking on a golden color and a rich, nutty complexity.

A certain amount of wine is not wood-aged and is blended in to add freshness and fruit character. Serve chilled as an aperitif accompanied by a bowl of salted almonds. 

Winemaker Description

This wine comes from vineyards cultivated by Antonio. The vines range in age from 50-100+ years old. There are more than 20 varieties of reds but the main ones for this wine are: Baga, Jaen and Tinta Amarela.

Hand harvest into small baskets with first sort at harvest. The grapes are destemmed and pressed and undergo a prefermentative cold maceration for 4-5 days to gain aromatics. This is done in small tanks or plastic vats. The musts are then allowed to warm up and native yeast fermentation begins.

Hand punch downs 1 per day for the 12-14 day fermentation. The wines are aged in used French oak 400, 500 or 600L barrels for 2 winters to naturally stabalize and clarify the wines. 

A full-bodied red wine with intense aromas of ripe red fruit and a hint of spice. Enjoy its smooth, velvety texture and long finish. Perfect for any occasion! Buy now and experience the unique flavor of this exquisite Portuguese wine. Winemaker Description. 

Wine Spectator 93 Points | Enticingly tawny offering mulled red currant and cherry fruit flavors with dried wood spice red tea and incense notes through the long and racy finish. Thoroughly delicious. Touriga Nacional Touriga Franca Tinta Cão Sousão and Tinta Roriz. Drink now.

Winemaker Description

Quinta de Santa Eufemia is a Portuguese Port house whose history begins in 1864 when Bernardo Rodrigues de Carvalho acquired vineyards in the Duoro and began producing and selling Port wines. His skills and passion have been passed down from generation to generation

The wine is quickly fermented in traditional lagares (treading tanks) before being fortified. After fortification, the wine is aged for nine months in stainless steel where it is naturally decanted, the transferred to 550 liter oak barrels where it ages for a further 4 years before bottling.

It pours a brick tawny color and has aromas and flavors of red currant, plums, caramel and toffee. Great on its own, this tawny also pairs nicely with smoked ham. 

Deep dark-purple colour with a vibrant and intense ruby rim. Aromas of ripe wild berries on the nose, combined with notes of violet, black pepper and hints of eucalyptus leaf. In the mouth the rm tannins stand out, together with a vibrant and crisp acidity.

All aromas are perfectly combined, with aftertaste favours of raspberry, blackberry and apricot, ending in a long and enduring finish, so characteristic of Kopke. Winemaker Desrcription.

Winemaker Description

Typical blackcurrant and lavender aromas with traces of fennel, whose fragrance is often carried by the breeze in the vineyards at Vesúvio. On the palate the wine delivers mouth-filling ripe black fruit flavors; opulent and velvety, although with substantial volume and weighty structure. Very polished tannins provide a satisfyingly long, silky finish.

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 96 Points | This is really vivid, with a beautiful range of cassis, cherry purée, boysenberry coulis and plum reduction notes unfurling across the palate while succulent licorice, warm fruitcake and enticing red and black tea.

Wine Enthusiast 94 Points | One of the Douro's grandest quintas has produced a powerful, structured wine that shows concentration and density. The aromas and dark fruits speak to the Touriga Nacional in the blend, giving a Port that is destined for long-term aging. Drink from 2030. Cellar Selection.

Winemaker Description 

Nat Cool is naturally "cool and funky." It represents an innovative concept initiated by Niepoort, in which various producers came together to create light and easy-to-drink wines.

In the Bairrada region they have produced the Drink Me, the first Nat Cool, where we try to showcase a different and elegant side of the Baga grape variety. An incredibly light and accessible wine which just begs to be enjoyed. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2022 

90 Points Robert Parker | The 2022 Xisto Ilimitado Branco was not approved by the Douro appellation, but it's from Douro grapes, from the zone of Meda in the south of Douro Superior, close to Beiras, from purchased grapes, mostly Rabigato. It has the Seabra signature of cleanliness, definition, balance, elegance and quality oak. It has 12.5% alcohol and a round palate. All of the whites go through 100% malolactic, and in this case, some 20% of the wine was unoaked. 2022 is a year with more fruit, rounder, with mellow acidity.

Winemaker Description 

Bright straw yellow. On the nose, stone and orchard fruit abound, with flinty wet stone and white pepper laid over the dominant aromatics. On the palate, impressively bright and mineral driven, with a great balance between power and lift. Lemon, green apple, bosc pear flavors comingle with a touch of floral tone and slate minerals. Juicy and mineral-driven all at once. 

Winemaker Description

A deep ruby color, with a garnet rim. A classic bouquet, on which the liveliness of young fruit produces a delicate balance. Firm and powerful in the mouth, it shows flavors of fresh fruit and delivers a long and harmonious finish. 

Founded by a German family of the same name in 1638, Kopke is likely the oldest Port house in existence today. Aged in oak casks before bottling, this is a young, fruity port with a vibrant, sweet feel. This crowd-pleaser features plum and bright cherry flavors.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2015 

93 Points Wine Enthusiast | The quinta, situated in the prestigious Torto River valley near its mouth at the Douro, is now producing some fine Ports. This Vintage, superficially soft and fruity, is in fact still packed with dense tannins, giving a solid structure, some maturing sweetness and black fruits. The wine will be ready from 2028.

Jancis Robinson 16.5/20 Points | A more traditional bottle shape than most of the Quinta da Côrte wines. Darkest, inky crimson with a deep cherry rim. Rich earthy spice and warm blackberry fruit with dark chocolate notes and lots of spice, cardamom, for example. Complex and inviting. Tastes sweeter than the LBV 2015. Great power, packed with spice and very ripe black fruits. A savoury, earthy intensity even with all this fruit. The tannins are chewy and thick but already relatively supple for a vintage port. More noticeable freshness than on the LBV and better balanced than their unfortified Douro reds. Long and deep and still a baby. 2025 - 2035"

Winemaker Description

Incredibly rich amber colour with golden mahogany reflections, this 10-year-old Tawny emanates from the opening of the bottle a superb aromatic bouquet: with initial notes of almond, walnut, fig, dried fruit, currants, candied orange, then evolving for roasting and wood notes. In the mouth the same complexity, a rich, concentrated, deep structure supported by a magnificent acidity. It evolves with energy and firmness and as an exceptionally long finish. Winemaker Description.

Expert Review

Wine Enthusiast 91 Points | From old, field blend vineyards, this Port has a fine nutty character. It shares that with red fruits, gentle spice and a fine balance between sweetness and a drier core. This wine, rich and with toffee flavors, is ready to drink.

Winemaker Description

The Churchill flagship quinta has produced a serious style of Port. Dry and richly structured, it also has jammy red-berry fruits that will cushion the firmness.

Churchill’s purchased the estate of Quinta da Gricha in 1999, and it quickly formed the spiritual heart of the house, and is where all the wines are made today before being sent downriver for aging in Vila Nova de Gaia. Winemaker Description.

Expert Review

93 Points Wine Enthusiast | The Churchill flagship quinta has produced a serious style of Port. Dry and richly structured, it also has jammy red-berry fruits that will cushion the firmness. Drink the wine from 2029.

Expert Review 

Wine Enthusiast 95 Points | This delicately perfumed wine opens to reveal power combined with elegance. The wine has great ripeness—a soft texture on the surface masking the severe tannins at the center.

Winemaker Description 

A fragrant aroma of well ripened fruit; supple and polished tannins give structure and length on the palate, with a rich sweet flavour and crisp mineral freshness. Herbal and dark fruit notes on the aftertaste. Winemaker Description.

Wine Spectator 93 Points | Tightly wound, this delivers a wiry, focused beam of dried peach, date, green tea, almond husk and bergamot notes. Long, racy finish has excellent cut. Drink now.

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points | At 20 years, aged tawnies bear fruit and concentrated wood flavors, plus dry acidity. This is rich and poised, and it has a fine, full finish. Editors' Choice.

Wine Advocate 93 Points | The NV RP 20 Year Old Tawny Port Quinta do Bom Retiro is a single-quinta Tawny coming in with 126 grams of residual sugar and a bar-top cork. It was bottled in February 2020. This seems pretty much on track for what the brand normally shows, but it is especially enticing right now. It shows power, depth and spice. There are classic hints of caramel and a fresh feel. That wonderful freshness is what really sells this elegant Tawny and makes it irresistible. It is impeccably balanced. The lift to the fruit gives this some extra juiciness on the bright finish. On opening, it was a bit more ponderous, but it really woke up a couple of days later. This is pricey for a 20 Year, but it is certainly a terrific one. As always, the end-date drinking window is just a placeholder—these are very resistant and age indefinitely if there is no cork problem, although they are ready on release and do not need aging.

Wine & Spirits Magazine 91 Points | From Ramos Pinto’s estate across the river from Pinhão, this wine’s complexity starts from a green tea and dried leaf scent before it fills the mouth with juicy orange and rich oak flavors. It builds from austerity to riches, generous, warm and inviting.

 Winemaker Description 

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2017

Winemaker Description 

Maçanita’s Douro Branco exemplifies the confluence of richness and elegant minerality that is the hallmark of Douro whites. The indigenous Viosinho provides the backbone to this mineral driven wine, showcasing the slate soil and high altitude plantings that fuel this project. Fermented and aged all in stainless steel, Antonio and Joana very capably maintain the freshness and acidity in this wine, yielding a wine of purity and balance.

Winemaker Description 

Still family owned, D’Oliveira date back to 1850, working with cellars built in 1619, so they know a fair bit about making madeira.

The wine has an average age of five years, leading to an inviting, nutty, slightly toasty nose, with flavours of grapefruit, lime, hazelnuts, and orange peel.

The high acidity makes the wine taste dry on the palate, with a smooth, long, and memorable finish.