Variety: 50% Aragonez (Tempranillo); 20% Alicante Bouschet; 20% Trincadeira; 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: DOC Alentejo – Evora, Portugal
Cost: $25 (SRP)
My Review: The last of my Portuguese wine, but arguably, my favourite of the bunch. I’d been sitting on this bottle for a few weeks (no real reason, just hadn’t opened it) and I’m regretting that decision – I should have opened it earlier so I could have gotten down to finding another bottle of it.
Like I said, I really liked this wine.
In the glass, the wine was a deep, inky red with slashes of purple that really only came out against the light. On the nose, the wine was hot at first, unsurprising given that the wine is 14.5% alcohol/volume, but after opening up it started to show aromas of ripe berries and spice.
In the mouth, the wine showed the same initial heat from the nose (decant or let the wine sit in your glass for a bit), but once that passed it showed a great medium body, with flavours of blueberry, cassis, and hints of chocolate and spice on the finish.
My wife and I paired the wine with a steak salad (some flank steak, spinach, bell pepper, and couscous) and the flavours of the wine were a great pairing for the dinner, but it was also enjoyable to just sit and sip on before and after the meal.
If I had one complaint about this wine, it would be the bottle itself. They used a thicker, heavier glass, and while I know that it’s common in some Old World wineries to use that heavier glass, I also know it contributes to higher shipping costs, which in turn means higher costs to the consumer. I’d love to see them use a lighter bottle to help shave off some of the cost (and waste).
All that being said, I loved this wine. It showed just the right amount of complexity to keep my attention, but not so much that I felt like I had to pay too much attention to it – exactly what I want on a Tuesday evening. If you happen to find yourself down the Portuguese aisle of your wine shop and see this bottle it’s worth picking up. I know I plan to again.
Editor’s Note: I received this wine as a free sample for review.
