forceberry

Tasting Notes

• 2022 Quinta das Bágeiras Bairrada Pai Abel Rosé

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  4/22/2024 - forceberry wrote: 92 Points

  Bágeiras' contribution to the premium rosé genre: this is a blend of Baga (80%) and Touriga Nacional (20%). No skin contact. Fermented spontaneously, aged in old oak. 13% alcohol.
  
  Pale, almost colorless peachy-orange color. The nose feels youthful and characterful yet fine-tuned, not bold, with layered aromas of wild strawberries and melon, some waxy tones, a little bit of savory spice, light crunchy cranberry nuances, a hint of smoke and a touch of leesy creaminess. The wine feels ripe and textural yet dry on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and nuanced, slightly restrained flavors of sweet Golden Delicious apples, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of honeyed richness, light crunchy cranberry tones, a hint of creaminess and a touch of wild strawberry. The moderately high acidity lends good sense of balance and structure to the wine. The finish is lively, fresh and savory with a fine-tuned aftertaste of ripe wild strawberries, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of crunchy cranberry, light creamy tones, a hint of fresh Golden Delicious apple and a touch of melon.
  
  A wonderfully nuanced and elegant rosé that isn't just your soft and fruity everyday rosé, but instead a more restrained effort that doesn't jump at your face, but instead reveals more subtle nuances layer by layer - without coming across as dilute or underwhelming at any point. There's some real sense of finesse here - and the wine is priced accordingly at 35€. At that price, this isn't an affordable weekday quaffer, but it is obvious that the wine isn't trying to be one - and to its credit, it succeeds in that. Priced according to its quality. Fine stuff that can be drunk now, but also aged for a handful of years for additional complexity. Recommended.

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• 2022 Quinta das Bágeiras Bairrada Avô Fausto

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  4/22/2024 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points

  100% Maria Gomes (aka. Fernão Pires) from a low-yielding vineyard that is harvested early in order to produce a lighter wine with higher levels of acidity. Fermented spontaneously, aged for 11-12 months in old French oak barrels and bottled unfined and unfiltered, right before the wines of the new harvest are put into barrels. Named after Fausto, the grandfather of Mário Sérgio who runs the winery now. 13% alcohol.
  
  Pale lemon-yellow color. Nuanced and quite attractive nose with layered aromas of fresh peach, some creamy oak, light floral notes of orange blossom, a little bit of savory spice and a sweeter hint of more tropical fruits. The wine feels rich, textural and quite full-bodied on the palate with layered flavors of sweet Golden Delicious apple, some honeyed tones, a little bit of savory wood spice, light waxy nuances, a hint of apple peel bitterness and a touch of creamy oak. The acidity - surprisingly high for a Maria Gomes - lends great sense of freshness and structure to the wine. The finish is ripe, broad and textural with a long, layered aftertaste of ripe apples, some waxy tones, a little bit of creamy oak, light tropical fruit nuances, a hint of savory wood spice and a touch of apple peel bitterness.
  
  A very lovely, nuanced and harmonious white that manages to combine sense of substance with great freshness - something that isn't always guaranteed with varietal Maria Gomes wines! The oak aging lends lovely sense of creaminess and subtly woody overtones without adding any overt oak aromatics to muddle the fresh-yet-slightly tropical fruit profile. Although the wine is still very youthful, it is eminently drinkable right now. However, I feel this is a wine that could benefit from a few years of additional aging. Good value at 21€.

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• 2022 Quinta das Bágeiras Bairrada Rosé Reserva

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  4/22/2024 - forceberry wrote: 88 Points

  A blend of Baga and Touriga Nacional. Fermented spontaneously, aged in stainless steel tanks. 13% alcohol. Bottle #73of total 3294 bottles.
  
  Pale rosy color. The nose feels a bit reticent with light aromas of strawberries, some fresh yellow fruits, a little bit of savory spice and a hint of sponti funk. The wine feels dry, crunchy and even somewhat angular on the palate, yet at the same time having a slightly oily texture. The wine is medium in body with flavors of sour cherries, some lemony citrus fruits, a little bit of waxy funk, light wild strawberry tones, a tart hint of lingonberry and a touch of stony minerality. The moderately high acidity gives the wine nice sense of balance, but there's a tiniest suggestion of tannins that lend some additional firmness to the mouthfeel. The finish is dry and crunchy with a moderately long aftertaste of wild strawberries, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of stony minerality, light tart notes of lingonberries and a hint of waxy funk.
  
  A nice and balanced albeit a bit simple rosado. Nothing too ambitious, but nothing to complain, either. I guess it's once again the Baga component that lends the wine its somewhat rustic charm - the wine isn't a soft and gentle summer sipper, but there's some roughness around the edges as the wine sports a little bit of sour cherry bitterness and the fruit department is more tart and savory rather than soft and fruity. This is definitely not a crowdpleaser, but instead a refreshing, somewhat gastronomic rosé right up my alley! I only wish the wine showed a bit more depth and complexity as it feels maybe a tad linear and mundane now. Maybe time will help? Good value at 9,50€.

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