NV Quinta da Casa Amarela Ruby Reserve

Tasting notes for individual Ports, with an index sorted by vintage and alphabetically.
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Tasting notes for individual Ports, with an index sorted by vintage and alphabetically.
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JacobH
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
Posts: 3300
Joined: 16:37 Sat 03 May 2008
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NV Quinta da Casa Amarela Ruby Reserve

Post by JacobH »

A new one to me, Quinta da Casa Amarela is, as far as I can tell, an independent quinta in the far West of the Port region, near Régua. It looks like they specialise in table wines, with a couple of Ports, although this Ruby must be a fairly new venture as it’s not even on their website.

The label states this was bottled in ’08 and it looks filtered to me.

Drinking immediately after decanting, on the nose there’s a slight yeasty rawness that one encounters in some young wines; though I imagine this may blow off in a few hours. Beyond this it is absolutely archetypical of a young Port; with black cherry jam predominating. In the mouth, the grappyness of a young Port is notable, followed by a little blackcurrant and a small floral aftertaste with violets predominating. It is slightly but not aggressively tannic, with a touch of bitterness.

Overall, this is excellent. Assuming it’s not some oddity (like a declassified VP), this is how to do Ruby Port properly. It’s incredibly quaffable; I would compare it to some of the better ’07 reworked for immediate drinking. I like the strength of the fruit combined with enough body to make it taste like a robust Port but kept light enough to make it drinkable.
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JacobH
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
Posts: 3300
Joined: 16:37 Sat 03 May 2008
Location: London, UK
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Re: N/V Quinta da Casa Amarela Ruby Reserve

Post by JacobH »

22+ Hours the yeastiness on the nose has blown off. In the mouth, the blackcurrants are much more prominent, particularly on the front of the palate. Disappointingly, though, it does taste slightly over decanted in a way I wouldn’t usually expect for another 12 to 24 hours. Otherwise, this is still attractive and if it weren’t quite as expensive, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a load more.
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