By Aad van der Werf

Each year the editorial staff of Revista de Vinhos finds it difficult to establish a list of the best among the best of the year after tasting thousands of different Portuguese wines. They limited their list of excellent wines for 2005 to only 23, fully aware of the fact that they had to omit many wines of very high quality. Our summary gives all the names of the excellent wines, tasting notes of a selection of the wines and of all vintage ports.

Batuta Douro Tinto 2003
Niepoort Vinhos

Very fine, balsamic aroma, notes of anise associated with fruit, resulting in a wine of enormous class. Elegant, but full-bodied in the mouth, very well integrated wood, delicate tannins very much linked to the fruit. Silky finish with power and refinement.

Lavradores de Feitoria Grande Escolha Douro Tinto 2003
Lavradores de Feitoria

Pintas Douro Tinto 2003
Wine & Soul

Quinta do Crasto Vinha da Ponte Douro Tinto 2003
Quinta do Crasto

Quinta do Vale Meão Douro Tinto 2003
F. Olazabal & Filhos

Quinta do Vallado Douro Reserva Tinto 2003
Quinta do Vallado

Redoma Douro Reserva Branco 2004
Niepoort Vinhos

Quinta de Cabriz Four C Dão Tinto 2003
Dão Sul

Made from Trincadeira, Tinto Cão, Baga and Touriga Nacional. It has a profound and complex aroma, great quality of fruit and wood, without being too powerful. Suggestions of flowers and wild berries. Powerful, but at the same time elegant. Fresh, with a bite.

Diga? Bairrada Tinto 2004
Manuel dos Santos Campolargo

Quinta da Dôna Bairrada Tinto 2003
Quinta da Rigodeira

It has a beautiful colour and intense mineral aroma, smoky and spicy, very elegant resins, full and involving. In the mouth it is dense and thick, with ripe and chewable tannins, broad profile, complex, profound. Long finish, full of taste.

Quinta do Ribeirinho Pé Franco Regional Beiras Tinto 2003
Luis Pato

Just a little more than 900 bottles produced of a wine with an aroma full of class. Powerful, profound, complex, full of concentration and elegance in the mouth. Delicate, silky, very long. Most probably the best ever made Pé Franco (wine made from ungrafted vines).

Quinta do Monte d’Oiro Reg. Estremadura Res. Tinto 2001
José Bento dos Santos

Marquesa de Cadaval Regional Ribatejano Tinto 2003
Casa Cadaval

António Maria Alentejo Tinto 2002
Francisco Nunes Garcia

Mouchão Tonel 3-4 Regional Alentejano Tinto 2001
Vinhos da Cavaca Dourada

Vale de Ancho Alentejo Reserva Tinto 2003
Sociedade Agrícola Gabriel F. Dias & Irmãs

The regional distribution of the aforementioned 16 wines is: 7 Douro, 1 Dão, 2 Bairrada, 1 Reg. Beiras, 1 Reg. Estremadura, 1 Reg. Ribatejano, 3 Alentejo. The next 7 wines are all Vintage Port 2003.

Croft Porto Vintage 2003
Quinta and Vineyard Bottlers

It shows a lot of colour and is still closed of aroma. Everything yet to be disclosed. Sufficiently compact with fruit and vegetal notes. The same sensation in the mouth, with immense body, super fine tannins, volume and aromatic richness with enormous potential.

Dow’s Porto Vintage 2003
Symington Family Estates

Although still closed of aroma, one notices a big wine with many small aromatic notes which contribute to a great richness. Very rich in the mouth, powerful, ripe fruit. Notes of bitter almonds, earthy suggestions. A great, great vintage.

Fonseca Porto Vintage 2003
Quinta and Vineyard Bottlers

Chemical in the nose, austere and closed. Does not want to show much yet. Some dry vegetal and light mineral notes attract attention. Very good volume in the mouth. Tannins present, but also elegant. Overall, great impression with fine and long finish. Enormous potential.

Graham’s Porto Vintage 2003
Symington Family Estates

Very austere of aroma, for the time being without fruit, but revealing an inexhaustible source of hidden aromas. Remarkable harmony in the mouth, everything very well designed, with a pleasant volume and smooth edges. Elegance dominates.

Niepoort Porto Vintage 2003
Niepoort

Extremely vegetal in the nose, without displaying ripe fruit, but showing that it is all there hidden. Good aromatic depth, in which spicy notes present themselves. Very rich in the mouth, powerful, with very fine tannins and a great finish.

Quinta do Noval Nacional Porto Vintage 2003
Quinta do Noval

Deep colour, closed aroma, distinguished by a beautiful floral suggestion, without displaying fruit. Rich and full in the mouth, with elegance and power, finesse, robustness and a lot of substance. It has everything you want from a vintage that will live many years in the bottle.

Taylor’s Porto Vintage 2003
Quinta and Vineyard Bottlers

Very compact of aromas, this is an austere vintage. The aromatic force stands out with notes of violets and ‘esteva’ (cistus lusitanicus/rockrose), combined with flowers of high quality. Great volume in the mouth. This is a powerful wine to chew on, with great concentration in combination with elegance.

Aad van der Werf

Source: Revista de Vinhos, Fevereiro 2006