Been an above-average number of Portuguese wines smattered around the innerwebs lately, so though I’d pull this baby out. There’s SOOOO much more to Portugal than port: beautiful red and whites LITERALLY flow in the gutters: inexpensive, beautiful wines, from Dao, Douro, Bairrada–and lately–Lisboa. And yet… popularity in the US drags on sloggingly.
Bright, deep blue-ruby-purple in the glass, a nose packed with petrichor and briary barnyard goodness. Chunky graphite and incense cedar of nearly overwhelming volume: the earth an ALIVE tumultuous experience.
Sweet and thick on entry, the chalk wasting no time introducing an angsty edge to ridiculous ripeness in the face of calm structure. Near-perfection in the glass: the deep blackberry wonders working on and below the surface: a wholesome carrier for acidic glances and spirited vegetal. The crescendo of fruit zeniths near-finish, never taking a back-seat to ANYTHING throughout its course on the palate. Tannins are a respectful affair, balancing perfectly on the coat-tails of decadence. For 20 dollars I DARE you to find a better wine.
2019 MARY TAYLOR ‘Filipe Ferreira’ Touriga Nacional/Tinta Roriz/Touriga Franca 60/25/15 Douro Portugal 14.0
Stephen McConnell 