Quinta do Infantado is a family-owned operation encompassing forty-six hectares of vines situated on the right bank of the Douro, some four kilometres west of Pinhao in the so-called hollows of the Douro (“Covas do Douro”). Its great claim to port wine fame is the evident fact, agreed upon by various commentators such as Mayson, that in 1979 Infantado was the first producer to sell estate-bottled port to the Portuguese market, leaving it well positioned to capitalise upon the 1986 change of legislation permitting exports directly from upriver. The Roseira clan’s wines from the first half of the 1980s appear regularly at auction in Portugal - presumably because that is where nearly all of them were peddled - and there they fetch modest prices relative to better known labels.
Whereas a great many ports from the fantastic ’85 vintage are worthy of note, the 1985 Infantado is not amongst them. Not, at any rate, if the bottle opened on 01 September 2021 was representative.
In the glass after a six-hour decant, the wine was dark amber in colour, largely translucent and near to having divested itself of the last vestiges of ruby. A slight hint of cloud was likewise in evidence, though not in sufficient density to trigger my flight reflex when confronted by that which I find to be emotionally disagreeable. The nose offered a degree of promise, with secondary characteristics such as prune, almond and ginger coming to the fore, coupled with something akin to simple syrup. Alas, this bottle went to pieces at the mouth: honey and water were the primary sensations at the fore-palate, with cinnamon appearing midway through, giving way in turn to lemon peel at the back. All in all, the wine was rather simple. Worse still, the port proved to be thin on the palate, where a lack of acidity was painfully displayed. Whilst the cinnamon reappeared in somewhat sweeter form at the end, which lingered pleasantly ‘round the mouth, neither the finish nor the nose could compensate for the deficiencies at the mouth.
All in all, the 1985 Infantado was good in parts, though not very good. On the evidence of this bottle - my first Infantado of any sort - I am inclined to give further bottles of this ’85 a miss.
-86 points