2009 Quevedo Sample Tinto Cao
Posted: 17:12 Thu 09 Jul 2020
2009 Quevedo Tinta Cão
Warning: this is a real oddity!
Back in 2011, Oscar provided some of us with some single-varietal samples of the Quevedo 2009 vintage port. We tried to set up an offline to try them and do some blending but I seem to remember it never got off the ground and so it was just Rob and I who had a go following another tasting. I can’t remember what we did first but my note of the Susão sample suggests it was the 37th wine I’d tried that day...
Anyway, I recently was moving some Port from my mother’s house and found that, unsurprisingly, we didn’t manage to drink our way through all of them. I have one unopened set and obviously jammed the corks back in the set that we did open. Of the latter, only one survived: the 2009 Tinta Cão which I re-opened a few days ago.
Accordingly, if you want to know the effect of re-corking a single-varietal-20cl bottle of Port and aging it for a further 8½ years, now you can!
Tasting 1: 2011
Notes: A similar colour to the Touriga Nacional; nice and dark but not quite as dark as the Touriga Francesca. In the mouth loads of hard tannins and green stalks with astringent aftertaste. Not very nice to drink no its own at all. However, I can see how a little of this, added to a blend would really give good structure to the Port. I imagine Tinta Cão is one of the grapes which really provides Port’s longevity.
Tasted at: Single Varietal Ports
Date: 8th September 2011
No rating.
Tasting 2: 2020
Notes: The second half of the sample bottle tried in 2011 (and then recorked, half-full). Loads and loads of thick sediment. Deep red in the centre, on the edge of translucency; fading to deep orange around the rim. Subdued nose: no spirit or real red fruits but some subtle orange and a degree of freshness, like after Summer rain. In the mouth, it is immediately noticeable that there are no real tannins left; the sweetness is subdued and there is a strong acidity of fresh lemons. However, once the acidity has subsided, the aftertaste is remarkably long; full of caramel, citrus peel and distant fruit. It reminds me of a very good 20 year old tawny (which I suppose is what it might have become).
Date: 1st July 2020
Rated*: P+
http://www.jacob-head.com/port/records/ ... o%20Sample
[A Note on Ratings
My rating system attempts to answer the question “is this a good Port?” one of three ways: No; Possibly; or Certainly. Ports generally are rated against others of their category. Therefore, a Ruby Port which I rate as C for Certainly good, might not be as good as a Vintage Port which receives the same rating. I sometimes modify my rating with a plus or minus indicating that the Port is better or worse than might be expected for this category.]
Warning: this is a real oddity!
Back in 2011, Oscar provided some of us with some single-varietal samples of the Quevedo 2009 vintage port. We tried to set up an offline to try them and do some blending but I seem to remember it never got off the ground and so it was just Rob and I who had a go following another tasting. I can’t remember what we did first but my note of the Susão sample suggests it was the 37th wine I’d tried that day...
Anyway, I recently was moving some Port from my mother’s house and found that, unsurprisingly, we didn’t manage to drink our way through all of them. I have one unopened set and obviously jammed the corks back in the set that we did open. Of the latter, only one survived: the 2009 Tinta Cão which I re-opened a few days ago.
Accordingly, if you want to know the effect of re-corking a single-varietal-20cl bottle of Port and aging it for a further 8½ years, now you can!
Tasting 1: 2011
Notes: A similar colour to the Touriga Nacional; nice and dark but not quite as dark as the Touriga Francesca. In the mouth loads of hard tannins and green stalks with astringent aftertaste. Not very nice to drink no its own at all. However, I can see how a little of this, added to a blend would really give good structure to the Port. I imagine Tinta Cão is one of the grapes which really provides Port’s longevity.
Tasted at: Single Varietal Ports
Date: 8th September 2011
No rating.
Tasting 2: 2020
Notes: The second half of the sample bottle tried in 2011 (and then recorked, half-full). Loads and loads of thick sediment. Deep red in the centre, on the edge of translucency; fading to deep orange around the rim. Subdued nose: no spirit or real red fruits but some subtle orange and a degree of freshness, like after Summer rain. In the mouth, it is immediately noticeable that there are no real tannins left; the sweetness is subdued and there is a strong acidity of fresh lemons. However, once the acidity has subsided, the aftertaste is remarkably long; full of caramel, citrus peel and distant fruit. It reminds me of a very good 20 year old tawny (which I suppose is what it might have become).
Date: 1st July 2020
Rated*: P+
http://www.jacob-head.com/port/records/ ... o%20Sample
[A Note on Ratings
My rating system attempts to answer the question “is this a good Port?” one of three ways: No; Possibly; or Certainly. Ports generally are rated against others of their category. Therefore, a Ruby Port which I rate as C for Certainly good, might not be as good as a Vintage Port which receives the same rating. I sometimes modify my rating with a plus or minus indicating that the Port is better or worse than might be expected for this category.]