Day 4 – Wednesday
Quinta da Levandeira do Roncão (DR)
On Wednesday morning, we headed out to the second property of Agri-Roncão – Quinta da Levandeira do Roncão in the Douro Valley. This property is about 9 kilometers from Pinhão and is best known for the Port wines it produces under the DR Port brand.
DR was a relatively new brand for many of the people on the tour, but their old stocks of tawny ports were about to leave an indelible impression. Our tasting was set up in their warehouse, with dramatic racks of Port wine barrels towering over the tables we would be tasting our wines.
In our first flight of Ports, we tasted DR’s “2 Year Old” Tawny Port from cask, as well as their more traditional 10, 20 30, 40, and 80 Year Old Tawny Ports. I also was strangely attracted to two barrels that were labeled “100 Years Old.” Weird, huh?
DR 10 Year Old Tawny Port – Dark amber-orange in color. 5%-10% of the wine aged in 5-year-old pipas barrels for six months. Orange spice and some cedar on the nose. Incredibly unctuous approach. Caramel and brown sugar on the palate with a touch of vanilla. Very balanced, with a touch of spice at the end of the very long finish. 94 points. 9/20/2016
DR 2 Year Old Tawny Port, N/R
DR 20 Year Old Tawny Port – Cask sample. Orange-brown with semi-opaque center. Elegant nose with caramel and some light mahogany notes. Very unctuous mouthfeel with subtle orange spice, maple and orange peel with a very long, unctuous finish. 93 points. 9/20/2016
DR 30 Year Old Tawny Port – Cask sample. Golden brown amber in color. Pecan and some light mocha notes on the nose. Intense mouthfeel with lively acidity and notes of hazelnuts and spice. 94 points. 9/20/2016
DR 40 Year Old Tawny Port – Cask sample. The average age on this wine is about 50 years. Golden with brown tones. Rich mahogany on the nose with just a touch of oxidation. Incredibly rich mouthfeel with bright acidity. Rich butterscotch and some vanilla on the very long finish. Well-balanced, powerful wine. 95 points. 9/20/2016
DR 80 Year Old Tawny Port – Cask sample. Amber-brown center with green edges. Espresso and vanilla notes on the nose. Incredibly smooth, unctuous mouthfeel. Vanilla, espresso bean, and honey on the palate. Smooth very long finish. 97 points. 9/20/2016
After our amazing tastings in the barrel room, we adjourned to the dining room to have lunch, and of course, more wine!
2015 DR Douro Vinho Branco, N/R
2012 Quinta da Levandeira do Roncao Reserva Douro Red, N/R
2011 Quinta da Levandeira do Roncao Grand Reserva Douro Red, N/R
2002 DR Vintage Port – Amber ruby in color with almost full opacity. Floral notes and red fruit on the palate. Full-bodied and unctuous with balanced tannins on the finish. 93 points. 9/20/2016
2011 DR Late Bottled Vintage Port – Dark purple in color. Fully opaque. Primary black fruits and some herbal notes on the nose. Intense violet and blueberry on the palate, with pronounced tannins and a touch of spirit. Very long finish with good acidity. 91 points. 9/20/2016
After dinner, we changed into “treading shorts” and Quinta da Levandeira do Roncão tee shirts and climbed into the lagar to foot-trod some of the 2016 vintage grapes. For those who have not trodden before, it is a very weird sensation, but it is a practice that has produced great wines since Roman times. The human foot is a natural “grape-crusher” with enough weight but pliability that it can break the skin of the grape to release the pulp and juice without crushing the pips (or seeds, which would release excessive tannins into the wine).
We had trodden the grapes for a little while, laughing, taking our photos, and generally reveling in the experience, when our hosts produced a tray of tawny Ports for our consumption. At first, we didn’t know exactly what Port this was, but it soon got around that this was this the 1885 Tawny Port, and it pretty much blew everyone’s mind. It was a spectacular end to the evening – one that I will never forget.
1885 Agri-Roncão Douro Muilo Velho Port – Brown in color with yellow on the edges. Rich wood notes with some VA on the nose. An incredible concentration of honey, molasses and a touch of butterscotch on the syrup-like palate. Wave after wave of flavor with caramel, orange spice, and burnt sugar. Extremely long, unctuous finish that just goes on and on. 99 points. 9/20/2016
Taylor Fladgate’s Quinta de Vargellas
While the rest of the tour headed to Vale do Dona Maria, I split off from the group to go visit my dear friend Alistair & Gillyane Robertson at Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas. I first met Gillyane & Alistair on our 2006 Tour, and immediately hit it off with them. They became quick friends, and I always try to carve out a little time when I travel to Portugal to visit with them.
Quinta de Vargellas is the flagship vineyard for Taylor Fladgate, and – along with Quinta do Vesuvio – is one of my meccas of the Douro Valley. I’ve had a long history with Alistair, Gillyane and this property, and some of my fondest memories of the Douro Valley involve Vargellas. The property itself was recognized for its quality wine as early as the 1820’s, and the last of three sections of vineyards that now comprise Vargellas were purchased by Taylor’s in 1896.
When I arrived at Vargellas, I was welcomed (as always) by Alistair and Gillyane in such a gracious way that it made me feel like I was family. I discovered that they were hosting some additional guests at the Quinta – Winemaker Thomas Hardy of Hardy Wines in Australia, and a few of his associates.
Shortly after arriving, we all piled into Alistair’s boat for a cruise on the Douro River, something that I’ve done before and never grow tired of. Cruising the picturesque Douro River is really something to behold. Just thinking about the history of this region and this river are often enough to give me pause. We traveled all the way down to the dam, which was built as one of a series of water control dams to help regulate the historically wild Douro River. Gillyane broke open the ice chest with white Port and tonics – again a tradition with us – and we toasted to our health and then poured a splash of Port into the water to honor Barron Forrester (who famously drowned when his boat capsized on the Douro in 1861).
After our lovely boat ride, we returned to the Quinta and prepared for dinner. I set down my camera, my tasting notebook, and decided to just enjoy the evening dining on the veranda and catching up with Alistair and Gillyane.
After dinner, we headed down to the lagars for a raucous round of treading grapes, and a surprise appearance by David Guimaraens, Winemaker for both Taylor and Fonseca Ports.
After everyone else went to bed, I made myself a White Port and tonic to cap off the evening and sat down in front of the fire with Lt. Sharpe, one of the Vargellas dogs that for years has been one of the mascots of the house. “Sharpie” was named after the title characters in Bernard Cornwell’s epic series of novels about the Napoleonic Wars. Cornwell, in fact, visited Vargellas once and signed their guestbook. Having just completed the final book in the “Sharpe’s Rifles” series of 24 novels on the plane ride over to Portugal, it was very cool to sit in the quiet house, with Lt. Sharpe at my feet, quietly reveling in the peaceful calm all around me.
