Quinta do Vallado 2007 $20

This is the vineyard/winery that has a lovely inn on the Douro in Portugal. I stayed there for a couple of days and thoroughly enjoyed it--including tasting and tour of the winery. This was in 2008 so I might have tasted this wine in barrel sample.

Anyhow, first taste was a bit harsh. The nose is pretty restrained but has layers of complexity that includes some brown and green spices, some vaguely lavender element. THe berry component isn't the normal huckleberry or blackberry, nor is it cherry. Very long finish that's a bit unintegrated for now. Of course the wine was a fairly recent arrival at CH Wine Co. I'll look forward to drinking this in a year or two. At this point, this bottle, I'd say 90.

Here is the URL for this vineyard: http://www.wonderfulland.com/vallado/.

Parker (90 points):

The 2007 TINTO is a Douro blend. It is another fine “regular” Tinto in this very consistent 2007 vintage. This relatively low priced Tinto has a hidden advantage in that a significant portion of its blend (27% this year) is an old vines field blend from 70 year old vines. The young vines portion (defined as 15 years old, which is fine for most people) includes Touriga Franca (25%), Tinta Roriz (20%), Touriga Nacional (20%), Tinta Amarela (5%) and Sousao (3%). Although it does not show a lot of mid-palate depth, noting that the wines from this estate are always on the more elegant side, it has fine structure and complexity, a certain earthy nuance and some brightness. It is gripping on the finish and should develop a medley of flavors as it ages. It is yet another in the string of regular or second wines in this vintage that perform particularly well at excellent price points. Drink now-2017.

There are some price drops here over listed prices last year. The Touriga Nacional in particular has dropped dramatically. Marketing continues to be an unpredictable activity in this economy and with these exchange rates.