LeDomduVin: Bacalhoa Quinta do Carmo 'Dom Martinho' Tinto 2017

Bacalhoa Quinta do Carmo 'Dom Martinho' 

Tinto 2017 Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal

I passed by the supermarket the other day and wanted to drink something different. 

I was reading something about Portugal recently about the quality of their wines, which made me laugh as I have been buying, selling, serving and drinking Portuguese wines for the past 30 years, they have always been really good and great value for money too. 

Ok, granted, they are probably better now than they were before due to the changes of technology, techniques and practices in the vineyards and in the cellar over these last 30 years, but still, they were still very good then. 

However, I came across this bottle, about HKD 150, and decided to try it. As per the back label, it is made from a selection of Aragonez, Trincadeira, Alicante Bouschet and Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the key vineyards, named "Dom Martinho" , of Quinta do Carmo (owned by the group "Bacalhoa"). 

Deep, dark color. Earthy nose with aromas of dark fruits and berries, ripe plum, blackberry, and graphite notes. The palate was a bit tight and earthy at first, but really opened up and soften up after a few hours. It was even better the next day. Soft, ripe and supple, medium bodied, layered and ample, without being heavy, due to good acidity to balance the ripeness of the fruit and the earthiness. The tannins are super soft and well integrated, making this wine almost milky, soft and super easy to drink. Not the most complex, but a nice, quaffable wine, without over thinking about it. 

Cheers! Santé! 

- Dom (06-08/11/2022)

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LeDomduVin: 2002 Bacalhôa J.P. Private Selection Palmela D.O.C Portugal

Bacalhôa J.P. Private Selection 

Palmela D.O.C Portugal

Bacalhôa Wines of Portugal, founded in 1922, initially held the name João Pires & Filhos, which explains why different wines produced by Bacalhôa bear the initial "J.P.". The company has come a long way in becoming one of the leading wine producers in Portugal. Moreover, J.P. has become a benchmark for most wine retailers' Portugal selection.

Initially, the company began with the vinification of grapes from the Palmela Region. Palmela is a Portuguese wine region centered around the town of Palmela, bordering the Setúbal Peninsula region (east of the city of Lisbon and west of the wine region of Alentejo).

The Palmela region was previously classified under the "Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada" (IPR) designation, yet, due to its efforts to improve quality, it has recently been granted the status of "Denominação de Origem Controlada" (DOC). It first gained attention for its off-dry white wines made from Muscat grapes, but has recently turned its attention to producing dry red and white table wines.

Palmela constitutes a sunny district of low hills and sandy soils near the Sado River. It is characterized by a warm, maritime-influenced climate due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. It experiences minimal rainfall during the growing season, which is ideal for the vines. Its sandy soils' vineyards are planted primarily with Periquita and produce mostly soft, agreeable, early-maturing wines.

During the seventies, Bacalhôa Wines of Portugal invested heavily in viticulture and advanced winemaking techniques, thus becoming a model company for the production of high-quality Portuguese wines.

In 1998, Comendador Berardo became a major shareholder and continued to uphold the company’s mission of excellence. New vineyards were planted, investments were made to update the wineries, new estates were acquired, and the company became a partnership with Lafitte Rothschild.

Reference should also be made to the wineries located in three wine regions: in the Peninsula de Setúbal (Azeitão); in Óbidos (Loridos); in Alentejo (Arraiolos).

Of significant note – and as part of the company’s rich historical heritage spanning eight decades – are the Renaissance palace of Quinta da Bacalhoa, which now belongs to the company, the mansion and estate in Loridos, and an outstanding collection of antique Portuguese tiles as well as an oriental garden.

The Enotourism project “Wine, Art and Passion” is in place at the three wineries. Visitors are invited on a tour from Vine to Wine, where they can enjoy the combination of tradition and innovative advanced wine-making techniques, accompanied by art exhibitions featuring paintings, tile collections, sculptures, and millenary olive trees from the Alqueva dam.

With a production capacity of 12 million litres, an ageing potential of 6000 barrels, and some 500 hectares of vineyards, Bacalhôa Wines of Portugal continues in its drive to lead the industry in the cultivation and creation of new wines, whilst offering its consumers unique and innovative products of consistent and superior quality.

2002 Bacalhôa J.P. Private Selection Palmela D.O.C Portugal

Suggested retail price $10-$13
Imported / Distributed by Admiral Wine Merchants

The robe is quite dark and intense. The nose is rich, earthy, with aromas of black berry, lavender-like floral touches, and hints of spice. The palate is quite round and balanced, yet earthy and a touch rustic, but in a good way, with ripe dark berries, earth, minerals, and, here again, the spicy and floral notes. Overall, this 100% Perequita red wine is quite enjoyable and easy-going, with good acidity to balance it and keep it fresh, and enough integrated tannins to maintain its structure. The earthy, mineral notes bring interesting features and add character. Lovely.

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken from the importer website at www.admiralimports.com

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LeDomduVin: 2006 Marques de Montemor Vinho Tinto Alentejano Portugal

2006 Marquês de Montemor Vinho Tinto Alentejano Portugal

Suggested retail price $9-$11
Imported by Savio Soares in NYC

Imported by Savio Soares, who likes to bring unknown, low-production wines from small artisan winemakers using biodynamic, organic or sustainable culture, this little red has been the Portuguese delight of the store since we put it on the shelves.

Marquês de Montemor (Plansel) is a tiny winery located in the province of Alentejo (south-central Portugal), a wine region to the southeast of Lisbon (Lisboa in Portuguese), surrounding the city of Evora.

Alentejo is the warmest wine region in Portugal. Despite wheat, the main crop there, this hot region has dry, poor soils with a somewhat medium to low average rainfall, which represents the ideal conditions for growing Olives trees, Cork trees, fruit trees and, of course, vines. The weather is mainly affected by the Continental and Mediterranean climate (despite its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean) and warm winds coming from North Africa. Thus, it produces predominantly ripe, concentrated, earthy, rich red wines that critics often consider more "New World" in style, alcohol level and concentration.

With the assistance of Pablo Laureano, one of the main wine authorities in Portugal, the oenologist Dorina Lindemann produces the wines for Plansel, a small producer of Alentejo. Plansel, a wine by Quinta S. Jorge, produces rich yet elegant, harmonious, modern wines under different labels, like Marquês de Montemor Alentejano.

Plansel belongs to the Viveiros Jorge Böhm group (owned by Hans Joerg Boehm), one of the major Portuguese and world-leading companies specialising in clonal breeding of grape varieties and recovering many indigenous grape varieties in both Portugal and Spain. Dorina is the daughter of Mr Boehm (or Böhm).

"The aim of Plansel is to protect and bring back the old historic varieties and make them known to the world again," reported Mr Boehm (info taken from www.SunridgesNurseries.com)

To preserve the fresh, fruity aromas and flavours, the wine was produced, fermented, and then aged for 6 months in stainless steel tanks. Named after the ruler of the original lands in this area, Marquês de Montemor is made from 40% Aragonês (also known as Tempranillo in Spain), 30% Touriga Nacional (one of the main and finest red grape varieties of Portugal) and 30% Trincadeira (a Portuguese red grape variety achieving great results in a warm climate). The resulting wine is a fruity, juicy, earthy, balanced little red. Medium-bodied with an intense purple robe, ripe, earthy dark berry notes and an easy-going finish, it is a versatile wine suited for any occasion with or without food (but with food, it will be better).

Enjoy!

LeDomduVin

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Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2008-2023, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).