Variety: Touriga Nacional; Trincadeira; Touriga Franca
Region: Douro and Alentejo, Portugal
Cost: $20 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes:Â The glass opens with a triple layered aroma of savory peppercorn and cocoa, jasmine flowers, and black fruit. The immediate dark chocolate structure provides the canvas on which black cherries, roasted lamb, and exotic spices intermingle. The wine finishes with the tapering dark chocolate structure and culminates with hints of vanilla.
My Review: I really enjoy Portuguese wine. My father’s side of the family is from Portugal and I’ve always appreciated the accessibility (and affordability) of the wines I’ve had from there. The P4 was no exception.
In the glass the wine was a deep garnet color, and on the nose I picked up peppercorn and jasmine flowers. In the mouth I got notes of black cherry, blueberry, and spices. The wine ran a little hot at first (it’s 15% alc/vol), but calmed down as the wine opened up, so I definitely recommend decanting before pouring a glass.
My wife and I paired the wine with a steak, potatoes, and green beans (thanks Home Chef!) and it was a great pairing – the spicy notes of peppercorn and spice complimented the seasoning on the steak perfectly, while the dark, biting notes of black cherry and blueberry were a nice balance to the smokiness of the meat after cooking.
I’ve really been enjoying these Locations wines – I appreciate the balance of respect for where the grapes came from with the adventurousness of the New World where the wines are made. For $20 the wine is a great value, and definitely one to look for if you’re looking to break out of your typical California/France/Italy rut (we all get into one).
Editor’s Note: I received this wine as a free sample for review.
