Portugal is home to many unique grape varieties that are commonly used in field blends (blends of unknown quantities of multiple grapes). Newer vineyards have the luxury of planting known quantities of specific grapes but this may not be known in older vineyards. This week, I grabbed a bottle of Poças red blend from my collection. Poças is a 4th generation winery in the Douro region of northern Portugal. This region is famous for its magnificent vineyards that are terraced on the steep hillsides overlooking the Douro River. These vineyards cultivate grapes for Port wine, which gets transported down the Douro to the towns of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia for aging. Port is a fortified wine that gets aged in oak barrels for varying lengths of time depending on the style. According to their website, Poças was established in 1918. It is the only Port producer to be fully Portuguese and owned by the same family since its inception. It was originally founded by brandy trader Manoel Domingues Poças Junior, only after he convinced his family of his knowledge for producing wine. Currently, it is operated by 4th generation members of the Poças family. Manoel’s great granddaughter, Maria Manuel Maia, manages the 3 family estates. These estates combine for about 76 hectares planted of a total 100 hectares. Manoel’s great grandson, Jorge Manuel Pintão, has been winemaker at Poças since 1986. In 1990, Jorge convinced the company to begin producing DOC wines in addition to Port wines.
This week, I drank a 2020 Poças Reserva Douro DOC. This wine is a blend of 4 indigenous grapes, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo), and Tinta Barroca. The vines range from 40-60 years of age. Most regions don’t have legal regulations for what can be labeled ‘old vine’, but generally, anything over 50 years old can be considered under this classification. As vines age, they undergo many changes that some feel improves the quality of the resulting wine. Their roots grow longer, allowing them to reach water stores and nutrients. The soil in this region is primarily composed of schist, which fractures easily, allowing roots to penetrate deeper. Vines also decrease in productivity with age, resulting in lower yields at harvest. This is thought to increase the concentration and intensity of wines. The Poças Reserva wine is a deep, essentially opaque, purple color that lightly stains the bowl of the glass when swirled. The wine leaves behind a fine grit on the glass, which made me think this wine is not fined or filtered to clarify the wine. This is a normal feature of wines and an observation, not a cause for concern. Ripe blackberries, juicy black plums, ripe black currants, vanilla, cinnamon, and toast are all readily apparent on the nose. This dry, full bodied wine has high alcohol and acid contents. These components are balanced by rich, concentrated fruit and a high level of ripe, smooth tannins. Blackberries and vanilla linger on the palate long after the wine is gone. If I wouldn’t have opened this bottle so early, it would be able to age for a considerable length of time. This wine is a great selection for cooler fall days. This wine begs for a meaty stew, cassoulet, game meats or pot roast.
-TheLooseTannin
A Trip Around the World of Wine in 52 Weeks 