This wine was part of a batch of wine we bought at $10 or less as part of our “every day wine” search. I wanted to try something from Portugal and this was my pick. I’m not really impressed with it, but not at all disappointed. As far as every day wines go, this is a good candidate, if for no other reason, it tastes like “a real wine”, as opposed to many of the mass produced wines in this price range that sell millions of bottles out of grocery stores everywhere. I would drink this over yellowtail or the like any day. It is also pretty versatile. We drank it while snacking on all sorts of things… cheeses, salami, ham and cheese sandwich, etc. and it didn’t clash with any of it. In a nutshell, it is a well rounded, not too complex, very drinkable wine.
Color is deep ruby. It smells of forest floor… woodsy, dirt, etc., and black fruit – especially black cherry, and a hint of vanilla bean. It isn’t a very intense aroma, but enough to pick out those aromas. The taste is a verital fruit punch with a mix of black and red fruit… mostly blackberry and plumb, but also raspberry and milk chocolate. There’s a hint of oak and a little ripe tannin action, just enough to make it taste a little more serious. Mouth-feel is nice and smooth with a little spice at the end and finishes with ripe tannin and a light fruitiness.
Rating: 88-89 (couldn’t decide)
Price: $9
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