Douro new releases: Expert’s Choice
Snap up these 2012 reds and 2013 whites for now or for the cellar. They show great intensity allied to real freshness, elegance and sense of place, says Sarah Ahmed
Pity the vintage which follows on from an ecstatically acclaimed year like 2011. It’s undeniable: 2012 Douro reds cannot match the stature of 2011s, neither in fruit or tannin power nor, in all probability, in longevity. But it would be a mistake to overlook this charming vintage where, trust me, ‘charming’ is not shorthand for lightweight, à la lunchtime claret.
This popular euphemism might fairly have been applied to 2010 Douro reds but, while approachable like the ’10s, the 2012s are more concentrated thanks to low yields of small-berried fruit in this dry year. And while a mild summer meant that ’12s are spicy and fresh like 2008s, ’12s have riper tannins. So what 2011 and 2012 do share is a delicious intensity born of precipitous sites, lean soils and low yields.
This intensity is particularly striking where, like many of the recommendations to follow, wines are sourced from the Douro’s old field-blend (varietally mixed) vineyards. They are hotbeds of local talent – not just the top five (Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barocca, Tinta Cão), but another 30 or more native grapes which bring a wild forest-fruit character to the Douro’s old-vine blends.
There is a genuine advantage over the 2011s too, which lies in the sheer detail already apparent in 2012’s elegant, mineral-sluiced reds. For table wines these qualities are increasingly treasured over the full-throttle power which this hot, dry region can so capably deliver, vintage Port being the ultimate case in point.
This about-turn is perhaps most evident at Niepoort, which aptly named its full-bodied first (unreleased) 1990 red Robustus. It’s an excellent wine, like a top Hermitage Syrah. But, these days – and especially in a year like 2012 – Niepoort’s Turris 2012 shows how the Douro’s individual brand of charisma can be bottled to compelling effect.
See her 18 top wines here
Niepoort, Turris, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
130-year-old vines aged in 80-year-old, 1,000-litre foudres. exceptional intensity and singularity. Crunchy, peppery, mineral and forest-floor red fruit and bony tannins.
2012
Niepoort
Altano, Quinta de Ataíde Organic, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
Rich plum and juicy satsuma with garrigue, dark chocolate, salty minerality and velvety tannins. Svelte and satisfying.
2012
AltanoDouro
Quinta do Crasto, Reserva Old Vines, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
Always great bang for your buck: sweet oak, floral lift, lashings of blackcurrant, juicy plum and crushed berry fruit. Long fine tannins and rolling acidity.
2012
Quinta do CrastoDouro
João Nicolau d’Almeida & Filhos, Quinta do Monte Xisto, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
A finely honed, elegant, food-friendly red with spicily persistent blackcurrant and violet notes, schistous minerality and seamless tannins. Stylish.
2012
João Nicolau d’Almeida & FilhosDouro
Casa Ferreirinha, Quinta da Leda, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
Juicily persistent, mineral and spicy blackcurrant and berry fruit with bergamot lift and sooty, fine tannins. very refined and elegant.
2012
Casa FerreirinhaDouro
Quinta de la Rosa, Reserva, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
Vivid, well-defined blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, toasty oak and crushed coriander seed spice. Ripe, coolly present tannins bring length and refinement.
2012
Quinta de la RosaDouro
Quinta do Vale Meão, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
Deep, savoury, complex, enticing: generosity is just one side of a multi-faceted personality; indeed it’s hard to imagine expressive force of this order without the palate wealth to back it up. Black fruits, earth, crushed rock, plant essences: they’re all here, and the sweetness the wine showed in its youth is beginning to settle and resolve.
2012
Quinta do Vale Meão
Quinta do Crasto, Tinta Roriz, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
Lovely purity, saturation and length of cinnamon- kissed succulent damson and blackberry fruit. very firm but fine mineral tannins bode well for ageing.
2012
Quinta do CrastoDouro
Prats & Symington, Chryseia, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
Lovely, ripe dark berries with black pepper, bacon, violets and powerful tannins. Quite savoury and forceful in style with a rustic, complex finish. Poised and very classy with spicy, bright, very persistent red and black fruits, ultra-fine tannins, mineral acidity and perfumed oak.
2012
Prats & SymingtonDouro
Niepoort, Charme, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
Coffee and caramel aromas lead on to a palate of dark cherry, plum and liquorice with a faint floral hint. Medium bodied with juicy fruits and firm tannins. Finishes a bit rustic with peppery spice. Tight, well-defined, crunchy red fruits with subtle plum-skin tartness and pronounced minerality. Fluid tannins accentuate the fine, long finish.
2012
NiepoortDouro
Churchill’s Estates, Quinta da Gricha, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
Characterful, structured, single-estate red with savoury, sinewy old-vine tannins, floral lift and spicy, concentrated but juicy, coal-edged black fruits.
2012
Churchill’s EstatesDouro
Poeira, Po de Poeira, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
Elegantly perfumed with structured tannins and minerality to the fore; tightly wound, spicy blackcurrant and forest fruit brooding with potential.
2012
PoeiraDouro
Quinta do Vale D Maria, Curriculum Vitae, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
Upfront, floral, creamy and plush dark fruit – seems quite modern in style. The juicy palate has a spicy, tarry character and fine powdery tannins. Quite savoury with good acidity.
2012
Quinta do Vale D MariaDouro
Quinta do Passadouro, Reserva, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
Beguiling floral and coriander seed lift with deep-seated blackcurrant and cherry fruit, chiselled minerals and firm but fine tannins. iron first, velvet glove.
2012
Quinta do PassadouroDouro
Niepoort, Tiara, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2013
Saline with a fresh cucumber and celery salt lift. the shapely, vegetal palate is teased out by lingering, pebbly acidity.
2013
NiepoortDouro
Conceito, Branco, Douro, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2013
Classy French oak; powerful ripe lemon, lemon oil and salty, piquant minerality take the breath away. Wonderful concentration and length.
2013
ConceitoDouro
Quinta do Vallado, Douro Valley, Portugal, 2012
<p>Thoroughly charming, characterful entry-level red with inky florals, vibrant cherry fruit, persistent acidity, silky tannins and schistous minerality.</p>
2012
Quinta do Vallado
