Additional information
| Producer | |
|---|---|
| Vintage | |
| Dominant Grape | |
| Style | |
| Price Range |
Herdade do Esporão – Monte Velho Tinto, Alentejo, 2017/18
£9.95
Clear deep ruby colour. Berry fruit aromas with some complex subtle toasty notes. Elegant palate with good depth of fruit and a fine tannic structure.
85 Points Wine Enthusiast (2012 vintage)
“A solid, dry, gently tannic wine that has a full and fruity character. Acidity and a dry core provide structure, while black berry and dark cherry fruits offer ripe contrast. It’s a wine to drink now and until 2019.”
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Ramos Pinto – Vintage Port, 2000
An exceptional dark color with blue tones. It presents a complex ensemble of aromas that combines red fruit compote, ripe plum and small-berried fruits with notes of dark chocolate and pepper. Elegant and well-structured on the palate, extremely full-bodied and full of fruit flavors, a good concentration and firm tannins that will give it great aging potential. A seductive, warm finish that is long-lasting and velvety.
91 Points Wine Enthusiast
“Herbal scents accent the nose of this Port, which otherwise shows pleasant plum and cocoa aromas. More plum on the palate, joined by black cherries and spice. It’s lush and intense, turning a little tart on the finish. Tannins are supple and not overly prominent, even at this young age.” W.E. – November 15, 2003
91 Points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“Seductive, sexy, accessible. Dense with jammy red & black fruits, smoke, earth, licorice. Sweet, layered, full-bodied. Now-2020”
90 Points International Wine Cellar
“Moderately saturated medium ruby. Expressive aromas of black fruits, smoke, tree bark and tobacco, with a slightly green note of roasted herbs. Lush, suave and seamless, with concentrated flavors of black cherry, plum, menthol and tree bark. Not particularly powerful or structured but finishes firmly tannic and long, with a suggestion of walnut skin.” Stephen Tanzer – February 2003
Winemaking.
This wine has a lively, young, vibrant color. It is thick and dense, showing whole red fruit, typical of the Douro region. In the glass, it has thick droplets that demonstrate power and softness. On the nose, the first impression is still, yet promising. Notes of blackberry, currant, cherry, raspberry, black plum, jam, and a mixture of fruit slowly reappear, giving the wine complexity and presence. In the mouth, the attack is full, supported by whole delicate tannins and signs of a long life. The 2000 vintage is ready to consume now, or can be cellared for more complexity.
The year 1999/2000 was a dry and hot year. There was less precipitation than usual that caused premature budding to occur and persistent rain from late Apr-May delayed flowering. A dry spell from late May until harvest slowed the grape maturation, which caused high concentrated grapes and a good sanitary status.
The harvest was delayed two weeks later than usual due to the slow grape maturation, keeping small concentrated grapes with good sugar degrees but with high acidity.
The production was inferior to that in 1999, but the quality of the wine was very. The Ervamoira wine was excellent, with good structure, deep color and body. The white wine at Bons Ares were delicious and complex, and at Bom Retiro the wine was phenomenal. All signs were present that a vintage wine would be produced since the first moment of harvest.
Varietal(s) 60% Touriga Nacional, 15%Tinta Roriz, 10% Tinta Barroca, 15% traditional varietals
Aging 20 months in large oak vats, chestnut-tree wood or mahogany
Alcohol 20%
Wine Acidity 4.12%
pH Level 3.88
Residual Sugar 89.2
Ramos Pinto – Quinta de Ervamoira, 10 year old Tawny (50cl)
This tawny is a blend with an average age of 10 years. Its brick-red, even golden shades transport us to the Orient of spices, piquant and exotic aromas, with all its mysteries. Its body and its richness of flavour transport us to the place where it was created – “Quinta de Ervamoira”.
90 Points Wine Enthusiast
“From the farthest reaches of the upper Douro, Quinta da Ervamoira has produced this sun-drenched wine, with great raisin flavors that vie with a fruity red-berry character. Both sweet from the dried fruits and dry from the intense acidity, with a light cocoa aftertaste, it is a balanced wine that can be drunk now.” Roger Voss – October 2015
91 Points Wine Spectator
“This Tawny offers a smoky aroma, followed by lithe flavors of salted almond, macaroon and cedar. Notes of red currant and sandalwood emerge on the fresh and refined finish. Drink now.” Kim Marcus – September 30, 2015
90 Points Wine Spectator
“A plush style, offering flavors of hazelnut, dried apricot and butterscotch, showing good complexity and length. The long finish is richly spiced and smoky, with vanilla and marzipan notes. Drink now.” Kim Marcus – December 15, 2014
10 Year-old Tawny, Quinta de Ervamoira
This tawny is a blend with an average age of 10 years. We are now entering the complex world of an aged tawny.
Its brick-red, even golden shades transport us to the Orient of spices, piquant and exotic aromas, with all its mysteries.
This is where the magical path towards the 20 Years and the 30 Years begins.
Its body and its richness of flavour transport us to the place where it was created – “Quinta de Ervamoira”.
It is in this mystical, biblical landscape that this wine is extracted from the schist, from the silence, for our delight.
Grapes varieties: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Franca.
Storage: Store the bottle upright in a cool, dark place
Temperature: 16º to 18ºC
Prizes:
– 93/100 – Wine & Spirits Magazine, 2011, USA
– 92/100 – Wine Spectator Magazine, 2012, Kim Markus, USA
– 3 Gold Medals – International Wine Challenge, 1995/2004/2011, UK
– Gold Medal – IMBIBE Sommelier Wine Awards, 2013, UK
Esporão Tinto Reserva DOC Alentejo 2015/16
Deep dark red colour. Intense spicy aroma of mature red berry fruits with discrete oak complexity. Compact, elegant, dense and creamy. Firm tannins offering structure for bottle maturation.
Esporão Branco Reserva DOC Alentejo 2017/18
Intense aromas of ripe tangerine and apricot with subtle notes of toast and smoke from barrel fermentation. Complex, creamy, well balanced palate showing full fruit flavours and mineral notes with a long and fresh finish.
Taylor’s – Vintage Port, 2011
A classic Taylor Vintage Port, stylish and poised. The 2011 displays the purity of fruit, fine scented quality and firm linear tannins that are hallmarks of the house style, as well as the characteristic Taylor combination of power and refinement.
20/20 Jancis Robinson
“This is restrained. Well mannered, discreet, keeps its powder very dry. But on the palate it opens out in the most superb, burgundian peacock’s tail sort of way….Upright and straight backed. But irreproachable. My gums are virtually impervious to sugar and acid but this wine set them vibrating a bit. Dried prunes ground up with rocks.” 2013-05-01
96 Points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The 2011 Taylor’s Vintage has a multifaceted, Pandora’s Box of a nose that is mercurial in the glass: cassis at first before blackberry and raspberry politely ask it to move aside, followed by wilted rose petals and Dorset plum. Returning after one 45 minutes that nose has shut up shop. The palate is sweet and sensual on the entry, plush and opulent, with copious black cherries, boysenberry and cassis fruit, curiously more reminiscent of Fonseca! It just glides across the palate with a mouth coating, glycerine tinged finish that has a wonderful lightness of touch, demonstrating how Vintage Port is so much more accessible in its youth nowadays. But don’t let that fool you into dismissing the seriousness or magnitude of this outstanding Taylor’s.” Neal Martin, Erobertparker.com 2013-05-01
97 Points Derek Smedley MW
“The nose is deep and brooding yet it has the fragrance of violets rockroses, cedar wood and a hint of nutmeg. There is an intensity of flavour about the palate black cherry mingles with blackcurrant rich deep sumptuous. The fleshy richness is supported by seamless sinewy tannins with the freshness of bilberry and bramble giving a slightly lighter feel at the back bringing out a mix of exotic perfumes.” 2013-05-01
Herdade do Esporão – Quatro Castas, Alentejo, 2017
Deep colour and intense. Aroma scented with berries, ensnared in subtle spicy notes.Solid and dense palate with creamy texture, highlighting the ripe fruit wrapped in fine tannins give it structure and a long and elegant finish.
90 Points Wine Enthusiast.
“Still young and showing fresh fruitiness, this wine needs time to calm down and broaden out. Made of four classic varieties in the Esporão vineyard, it’s dense, stalky and still full of tannins. Give this wine until 2016.”
Croft – Vintage Port, 2011
The heady scents and opulent ripe fruit which define the Croft Vintage Port style are supported by a mesh of taut, muscular tannins. These, together with impressive depth of flavour, make the 2011 one of the most structured and powerful of recent Croft vintages.
Deep purple black colour. The complex seductive nose has the archetypal Croft opulence but displays impressive depth, background and reserves of aroma. A rich, powerful fruitiness provides the backdrop for heady scents of blossom and rock rose. Luscious ripe berry fruit flavour surges though the palate. The wine’s velvety texture is underpinned by taut, muscular, perfectly integrated tannins which provide stamina with an attractive firmness and vigour to the finish. More virile and structured than some recent Vintages from this classic house, the 2011 nevertheless displays all the rich ripe fruitiness and exotic scented character associated with the Croft house style.
97 Points Wine Spectator
“Effusively juicy, rich and concentrated, showing plenty of snap to the crisp and well-spiced flavors of wild berry, dark currant and plum tart. Orange-infused chocolate notes linger on the exotic, mocha-filled finish. Best from 2020 through 2045.” Kim Marcus, September 2013
95 Points James Suckling
“Beautiful aromas of violets and blueberries with hints of blue slate. Full body, medium sweet with chewy tannins and a long, long finish. A leafy, stemmy, nutty undertone to this with hints of shaved milk chocolate. Very refined and beautiful.” May 2013.
95 Points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The 2011 Croft is initially taciturn on the nose, even after allowing it 20 minutes in my glass. A light swirling immediately awakens the aromatics to offer blackberry, Seville orange marmalade, blueberries and dried fig – complex and quite compelling. There is real mineralité within this bouquet that, returning after 30 minutes, offers alluring ocean spray scents rolling in off the ocean. The palate is medium-bodied with a velvety-smooth opening that belies the fine, structured tannins underneath. It clams up a little towards the finish, shuts the lid tight and consequently there is the sensation of less persistency here compared to the Taylor’s or Fonseca. But Croft has a knack of filling out with bottle age and becomes both gentle and generous with the passing years.” Neal Martin, Eroberparker.com,
Notes on Viticultural Year and Harvest
The winter preceding the 2011 harvest was cold and wet. The weather station at Croft’s Quinta da Roêda registered 496 mm of rainfall between 1st November and 31st March compared to a 30-year average of 358mm. The rain proved very beneficial, replenishing depleted ground water reserves and allowing a balanced ripening of the grapes during the hot dry summer which followed. Budburst occurred at the normal time towards the end of the third week of March and wet and relatively warm conditions in April encouraged vigorous growth. From early May conditions turned generally dry and remained so for most of the summer.
Only 12 mm of rain fell at Roêda in the months of May, June and July compared to a 30-year average of 105 mm. In spite of the arid conditions the vines were able to draw water from the ground reserves providing ideal conditions for balanced ripening of the grapes. The hot dry weather in August was broken at the ideal moment by two spells of rainfall, on 21st August and 1st September, which rounded off the ripening season and produced a balanced and evenly mature crop.
Picking began at Quinta da Roêda on 10th September in excellent harvesting conditions. Fermentation times were long, allowing for complete and even extraction, and the musts in the quinta’s lagares showed exceptionally intense colour and aroma.
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