Wine Tasting - Quinta do Vale Meão Douro Meandro 2008

"Wine gives a man nothing… it only puts in motion what had been locked up in frost."

 - Samuel Johnson

Hi there.  Your visit to my little humble blog is most appreciated.  Why not leave a comment to let Chucky know that you were here, you read his blog and you conquered your fear of Portuguese port wine?

I wish you a pleasant and productive day.  May your heart be filled with warmth and your thoughts swarm of happy memories.

Yes, another blog post dusted off and finally polished from way back on June 2011.  This date would have been a Sunday and Tiffany & I would have been sitting inside Total Wine & More, Orlando attending a wine class in the late afternoon.

This selection happens to be a port wine.  Port wine is something that Tiffany does not particularly appreciate.  Unlike myself, Tiffany doesn’t favor the cordial-type (sweet, syrupy) wines.  But, this class has changed Tiffany!  Her mind has been opened and her palate is now receptive to trying an occasional port wine.

Chucky's Point Score:  88

Tiffany's Point Score:  91

Quinta do Vale Meão Douro Meandro 2008

Appellation:  Douro, Portugal

Grape Varietal(s):  35% Touriga Franca, 25% Touriga Nacional, 25% Tinta Roriz, 5% Sousão, 5% Tinta Amarela and 5% Tinto Cão.

Quality:  Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC).

Rating:  92 points Wine Spectator

           90 points Wine Advocate

           90 points International Wine Review

Price:  $29.99 at Total Wines & More in June 2011

Vintage: 2008

Producer:  Quinta do Vale Meão

Tasting notes as follows.

Chucky's Tasting Sheet

Tiffany's Tasting Sheet

Tiffany's Notes:  "Very smooth!"

From the vintner’s web site:

“Harvest Report:

For the second year in a row, after a cold and dry Winter the rain appeared in the beginning of the Spring. This was crucial to restore the water levels of the soil. The Summer was uncharacteristically mild for this region with occasional rainy days in June and July. There are no records of temperatures above 37ºC and even these were rare. These conditions allowed a very slow and perfect maturation. As a consequence we were able to harvest very slowly, choosing carefully block by block as the different grape varieties achieved the ideal maturation. We started picking Tinta Amarela on the 2nd September, followed by Tinta Barroca, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Sousão, Touriga Nacional and just finishing on the 10th October picking the Tinto Cão. Weather conditions during the vintage remain dry with the exception of one insignificant showery morning in late September, enabling us to produce remarkably dark and concentrated wines, with excellent acidity and firm tannin structure and powerful fruit notes.

Vinification:

After being crushed, the grapes are cooled down and trodden by foot during four hours in granite lagares and then transferred to small refrigerated stainless steel vinifying vats. Each variety is vinified separately.  This wine was matured in second and third year French Allier oak barriques.

About Quinta do Vale Meao

Francisco Javier de Olazabal, former president of Ferreira, has been in charge at this historic estate since 1999. In that time, Quinta do Vale Meao has solidified its reputation as one of the finest producers of dry red wine in the Douro. The flagship wine here is a concentrated, seamless blend based on 60% Touriga Nacional. While Olazabal is a living legend of Portuguese wine, his son Francisco Jr. is now the official winemaker here."

Mmm… I can almost remember that date when this vino first touched my inviting palate.  I wish my memory  was that good but I have my tasting sheets to remind me that which my brain cannot.

I won’t pretend to elaborate on what had been written.  Instead, please allow the tasting sheets to speak for both Tiffany and I.

Hi-dee hi-dee port-wine-is-a-pleasant-occassional-change-from-your-ordinary-vino-ho my friend.