Weekday Drinking Thread - 22nd to 25th Aug 2022

A quick visit to the showroom today and I spotted some bottles of this laying around.
Absolutely gorgeous golden colour, oily, weighty palate, concentrated , good acidity.
Beeswax, floral notes, lemon curd, butter, orange peel, lemon curd, stone fruit and a hint of something tropical. Temperature is key to unravel all the notes out. Med to long finish.
This rivals any Premier Cru white burgundy at a fraction of the price.
Have a great week !!

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Excellent stuff! Only 17 euros in Portugal too :smiley:

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Did you leave any behind?

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I’m deeply envious - had a single bottle in a recent mystery case & it was outstanding - a contender for best white wine this year.

Phoned member services but it was (is) out of stock (at £25 ish) - so you were very fortunate to find some in the showroom !

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Yes I have! Although I may go back this week for more :smile:

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Drumroll required…

…but on first inspection this doesn’t appear to be corked. :smiley:

Very grippy tannins though. Will report back later, when it will be accompanied by pork stuffed aubergine Parmigiana. (OH is having a bit of a Hello Fresh moment, I’m hoping she shakes out of it soon, as it seems quite an expensive way to get ā€˜recipes’ :smiley:)

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Well I’m not much use here because I can’t do pics and I have nothing as esoteric and intriguing as Greek or Azores wines, just a boring old Imperial Reserva 2017 with my lamb, but as a couple of you know on here, nabbed for a bargain Ā£11 from Morrisons which I guess is the point of difference.

Sante!

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Dao Conciso 2017 (red) from TWS Mystery case - and yet another star wine ! apparently mixed varieties where Baga and Jaen are predominant so I have no preconceptions or any idea what I’m drinking. From Niepoort who make port and MANY other wines.

Nose is…unoaked, rich & enticing although doesn’t give much away. Palate medium to full bodied, ripe loganberries, light tannins, excellent balance of acidity yet extremely drinkable - I can taste the Port connection. Tasty & very more-ish finish. With meatballs in a rich tomato sauce + mozzarella & French beans.

It’s just a quality wine, very summer friendly, not at all heavy. Shame about the awful label but it’s what’s in the glass that counts.

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We spent another thoroughly enjoyable afternoon/evening in Malmƶ today. I wish we had more time to explore it - I absolutely love its atmosphere and vibe :heart_eyes:

After a 5 hour train journey from Karlstad we opened a half bottle of organic Codorniu Cava Brut - one of a few bottles we bought in the Systembolaget in Karlstad:

A blend of organically grown Xarel-lo and Paralleda, it was clean and fruity, with a nice mix of lees-y and floral notes, and disappeared very quickly. A quaffable aperitif!

We then had a fab dinner in a sort of gastro-pub place called Mello Yello. Despite the cheesy name, it was just what we were after - unfussy but well-made and flavoursome homey food. I had a bowl of perfectly cooked blue mussels and frites and the other half had their spicy burger.

After a frozen mango daiquiri I drank a couple of glasses of ā€˜El Convertido’ Verdejo, which was delicious and perfect with the mussels (all zesty citrus, white blossom and peaches). The husband had a Swedish lager - Falcon, I think it was.

After a nice stroll, we finished the evening in L’Enoteca, a bar two minutes from our place. I had a stunning 2017 Blauer Zweigelt made by Weingut Fritz Salomon - a deep, dark and sumptuous example of the grape, which really knocked my socks off with its pure, yet complex notes (plums, boozy cherries, smoke, tar, medicinal clove…). Mr Johnson had a local take on IPA called Jeenius, which brought Leonardo Acropolis to mind…

Leonardo_Acropolis

A very happy Monday! Let’s see how Tuesday shapes up… :grinning::wine_glass:

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… is the Portuguese name for Mencia, which - I think - is another variety you tried via the mystery case. A Jaen/Baga blend sounds fascinating! :+1:

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This mystery / fine wine case has turned out to be an education & very enjoyable. Another (no doubt differant) case is arriving this Friday.

The Dao Conciso isnt a ’ Vin de MĆ©ditation ’ - very much a high end & enjoyable food wine, miles apart from cheap & headachy supermarket Dao (which is what worried me when I saw the label). I think Conciso do a white version, so will be looking out for that.

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Bit surprised you see a port connection - I reckon Dirk himself would be horrified! :rofl: No port grapes in the wine, as far as I know, and Dirk, while hugely respected, is (in)famous in Portugal for wanting to make Burgundy :wink:

Jaen is very much on the up in the Dao for those (like Dirk) wanting to make a fresher style of wine. It is native to the region, but mostly to the higher parts, in the foothills of the Serra da Estrela. Baga, on the other hand, is unknown there until recently, but Dirk clearly became a huge fan in his work in Bairrada. If TWS ever stocks his Bairrada ā€œ2nd wineā€, Lagar de Baixo, fill your boots.

But no surprises it’s very good. The white is superb too. Love the label too, but I then I like all the Niepoort labels (which again show Dirk’s attention to detail).

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I didn’t explain myself very well. Not ā€˜port’ in terms of weight, but similar to ruby in terms of black fruits & general fragrance (but without the black pepper) - I’m sure I read somewhere there is Touriga Nacional in small quantities (but it’s not on Niepoort’s site). Bottled with zero filtration which adds to the mouth-feel.

Its certainly successful compared to traditional Dao. I shall look out for the other wines you mention, especially the white.

It was available last year and I have some in reserves

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I wouldn’t keep it that long. It’s drop dead gorgeous now, and I don’t think it’s designed to last like a traditional Bairrada. I’d age the Poeirinho but this one not sure.

There is plenty of excellent traditional Dao too, of course - maybe my favourite region for reds. Always look for older ones in those dusty old garrafeiras that still seem to abound in Portugal.

It’s not really an ageing issue but more of space issue. Trying to buy an extra wine fridge

Ah ok :grinning: I just keep everything at room temperature - have been doing so for over 20 years now, and yet to find a wine that was damaged or even prematurely aged.

I’d agree Baga can have some similarity to Burgundy but perhaps more to Nebbiolo. If you like Baga, Luis Pato’s wines are worth a try. He’s probably the leading force behind its renaisaance (if one can call it that).

Exciting afternoon here, our Labrador decided to jump in the River Stour which is still in a good state but then couldn’t get out . Slight panic , doggy very freaked but into the river ( key and phone on the bank) and alls well that ends well. Glad it was August and not DecemberšŸ¤”

So home for a sundowner - Pimms - and with dinner this …refreshing , still sharp and dry steely finish . Perfect.

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