For it to be considered truly excellent, a wine must be histrionic, it must know how to express the grape variety that is composed of, but it must also best describe the terroir it belongs to.
There has always been an almost indissoluble link between a wine, its grape variety, an its terroir (the word used by master winemakers in France). This link takes into account the endless nuances  that stem from the terroir itself and its microclimate, and is based on a magical interplay, where nature is just as crucial as the ingeniousness and commitment of the people. On this is based the spontaneous choice of dividing the wines according to their places of birth, the first item on their "identity card." In some of this places viticulture is more deeply rooted and above all sanctioned by the rules that valorize its qualitive aspect, these rules also mark the area of provenance and determine the maximum production, as wel as the relative techniques. These are very important elements that serve as a guarantee and help producers to be valorized.

Classifications, for instance, continue to adulate Bordeaux wines, as also underscored by the research conducted by Liv-ex em 2017, which selected more than half out of one hundred world wines, nor are Burgundy wines treated poorly, representing 15% of the finest wines  in the world, with the highest values, but above all coherent and capable of holding up in time.

For 2017 their price growth performance was 9%, in a positive mean increase of 16% for the one hundred wines in the list. These are followed by the Italians, where the region of Tuscany and Piedmont play a leading role. Continuing growth has been recorded in the areas of Champagne and the Rhone Valley, while Spain is still timidly trying to find a place for itself with some great wines and very competitive prices.

The same goes for Chile. Other zones that cannot be overlooked, as concerns the Old World, are Germany, Portugal, Austria, and Hungary, while Napa Valley is coming to the fore in the New World, where references to Argentina, Australia, and South Africa are made as well, although the latter country, like New Zealand and Tanzania, still does not have wineries that are trully affirmed as producers of reliable investment wines.

Here is a small list of wines with our recommendation, and that we present with exclusive price.

To order or for additional information from any of them, send an email to:

adolfo@cellartales.co

1. Valle Pradinhos Reserva Tinto 2005
2. Quinta do Portal Auru Tinto 2011
3. Insuspeito Grande Reserva Tinto 2011
4. Quinta do Monte d'Oiro ex aequo 2015

A true icon, an incredible wine and sweeping.

Indispensable in any collection.
Wines of excellence from a private collection, kept in a wine cellar with all the conditions required for an excellent wine conservation.
We ship to anywhere in the world

For more info on sales, contact us on

hello@cellartales.co

Dão's history is made of wines like this, a wine with 25 years of stories, which in this special and unique edition were celebrated, making its long history even richer and more intense.

This Quinta do Cabriz 25 Anos 2011 - red, is a blend of the native varieties of Dão with 40% of Touriga Nacional, 20% of Tinto Cão, 20% of Baga and 20% of Aragonêz, which goes for 12 months in French oak barrels. The aroma is intense and complex with ripe black fruit and jam, it has a purplish red tone.

In the mouth it is quite full, complex, fruity, silky. The ending is very long, persistent. With 14.5% of alcoholic degree, it has a balanced acidity and with tannins well present.

It was decanted 1h30m before consumption (recommended), consumed at a temperature around 18º, accompanied by matured cheeses and elaborate cooking.

The enologist is the "great" Osvaldo Amado, and this is a wine to last many good years.

92/100 pts

by Adolfo Magalhães

The most famous "brothers" of Casa Ferreirinha, here side by side, are a symbol of the Douro region, which honor and prestige the Portuguese viticulture, already having many international awards and prizes.

Born and vinified in Quinta da Leda, in the heart of the Upper Douro, these two brothers share fame in a sui generis way, one can be exceptional (RE) but knows that the brother will always be superior (BV), or so it should be ...

Both of them are born only of exceptional harvests and take years to be "declared", so much that the last harvests available in the market are the 2008 of Barca Velha and the 2009 of Reserva Especial.

This Barca Velha, has an intense ruby ​​color and an aroma of great harmony and complexity, with a strong presence of very ripe red fruits, floral nuances of lavender and violet, and an excellent spice component. In the mouth it is voluminous, it has a lively and well integrated acidity, with well present tannins and excellent quality. The red fruit, which is still fresh, combine with a balsamic and spiced feel. The finish is very long and complex, with remarkable delicacy and elegance.

The Reserva Especial, has a very intense, almost opaque color. It also reveals excellent intensity and aromatic quality, very ripe red fruits and black plum. Also outstanding are the spices such as cinnamon and cloves, balsamic to cedar, tobacco box and wooden notes very well integrated. In the mouth it has a magnificent structure, firm tannins of great quality, balanced by a good acidity. Its high intensity and complexity provide an extremely long finish.  

Barca Velha 2004 .. 95pts / Reserva Especial 2007 .. 96pts

This 2007 Reserva Especial is very probably the best ever, and with its evolution in bottle it may well surpass some Barca Velha.

Adolfo Magalhães

Salut!

With Christmas arriving soon, we are making some gift suggestions by creating packs of wines that are a good representation of the quality and diversity of the Portuguese wine regions.

This pack, Top Douro 2015, includes:
-Pintas 2015
-Quinta de Vale Meão 2015
-Quinta da Boavista Vinha do Oratório 2015

Find it at https://www.custojusto.pt/lisboa/vinho-gastronomia/pack-top-douro-2015-27834654

Only produced in exceptional years, these Icon d'Azamor are the ultimate exponent of the Azamor estate in the Alentejo.
Azamor now has a total of 260 hectares, where 25 hectares are planted with vines, 30 hectares with cork oaks and pine trees, and 140 hectares recently modernized with 50 year old olive groves.
The vineyards were planted in 2002 and form one of the highest densities of vines in the Alentejo.
There are four types of Portuguese grape varieties planted - Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Trincadeira and Alicante Bouschet - and four international varieties - Syrah, Merlot and Petit Verdot.

The estate's first wine was produced in 2003, Azamor 2003, from the oldest part of the vineyard, revealed a deliciously fruity touch, with an unusual balance and freshness. A wine was very fruity and accessible because of its "terroir", which would eventually win the gold medal in the World Competition in Brussels.

2004 was undoubtedly the best harvest of the decade. Derived in large part by the exceptional quality of the Syrah variety, obtained from a clone imported from Chapoutier, and excellent Alicante Bouschet, which would end up aging in new French and American wood for 20 months. A small amount of Touriga Franca has been added to this blend to give it a more classic touch. The wine was bottled and stored in a wine cellar for three years, anticipating the launch of Icon d'Azamor. And because this wine is only made in years of exceptional quality, we had to wait until 2010 for the second edition.

These are the icons that we have here, excellent wines, of striking profile and extreme elegance.

We know that the third edition is already in training, and it will be the year 2013,

Icon d'Azamor 2013, we're waiting for you!

Icon d'Azamor 2004.. 88pts

Icon d'Azamor 2010.. 85pts

Adolfo Magalhães

With Christmas arriving soon, we are offering some gift suggestions by creating packs of wines that are a good representation of the quality and diversity of the Portuguese wine regions.

This pack, Vinha do Contador, includes:
- Vinha do Contador Branco 2014, 90pts Robert Parker
- Vinha do Contador Grande Juri 2011

Find it at https://www.custojusto.pt/lisboa/vinho-gastronomia/pack-vinha-do-contador-27895398

Selling a set of Odysseus, Priorat Catalunya, Spain.
2004 harvest, Ithaca vineyards.
A blend of Garnacha, Cabernet, Petit Verdot and Touriga Nacional.
Set price, 42€

Here it is, first-hand presentation of the special edition "Estórias do Dão", a box of 6 iconic wines that helped make the history of this region.
Only 50 units were produced, indispensable in any collection.

The box contains:

Quinta de Cabriz & Luis Pato "Homenagem" 2000 Red Wine
Quinta de Cabriz "Escolha Virgilio Loureiro" 2000 Red Wine
Quinta de Cabriz "Amor de Perdição" 2009 Red Wine
Cabriz "25 years" 2011 Red Wine
Casa de Santar "Nobre" 2013 Red Wine
Paços dos Cunhas "Vinha do Contador Grande Jury" 2011 Red Wine

And because each one of these houses/wines has its own story, in the next few days we will bring each one here to tell them.

Those who are interested in one of these gems should send PM.

Salut!

Illustrious readers,

I present to you our new space, inspired by what I like to do: a conversation with friends around a good wine, telling the stories we hear, discover, live!

Those stories are usually told in my private cellar with the closest of friends, but I wanted to reach more people. I feel this can be the place to do just that. A place for sharing, where the tales and moments I write about might become the motto for you to contribute your own thoughts and experiences around this topic we all love!

Besides the stories, I will talk about the news reaching the market, national and international highlights, event summaries, conversations with producers/winemakers and other relevant topics.

Many other stories are already being created. You can count on that. Stick around to know everything firsthand.

Welcome aboard. Welcome to Cellar Tales!

The new image of Encontro Special Cuvée is pure luxury, pure charm and exclusivity. It’s a piece which stands out anywhere.

Produced from the Arinto caste, with a 5-year bottle stage before its degorgement, this Encontro Special Cuvée, according to the producer, “shows a crystalline appearance, with a thin persistent bubble, abundant crown, critina colour, complex, and intense in dried fruits, biscuit, toasted bread and white pulp fruit jelly. The taste itself is fruity, fresh, with a long persistence.”

It will be released in the first days of December, we will come back to it very soon with our taste impressions.

Salut!

The demarcated region of Douro is divided into 3 zones, the Baixo Corgo, the Cima Corgo, and the Douro Superior, in order of their occupied area.

The Cima Corgo constitutes about 36% of the demarcated region, and in it we find, among others, the Quinta das Tecedeiras, a farm that owes its name to the nuns that sowed linen there, but it’s the wine that brings it to the limelight. This Quinta das Tecedeiras Reserve is one of its most popular products.

I tasted the most recent harvest, the 2016 one, and there were no major surprises. I confess my expectations for this harvest were high, this promises to be another important year of great wines, and with each taste the idea holds truer. This 2016 Reserve, with old vineyards from the Tecedeiras, is created from the emblematic casts of Douro: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca. A long maceration.

Red rubi color with good intensity. The red fruits dominate the aroma, the spices, which come from the barrel stage, give it complexity. Very fresh and elegant profile. The highly polished tannins give it a good structure and elegance, long and a fruity finish.

A wine that promises to evolve well, while already being in very good condition for immediate consumption.  

Adolfo Magalhães

Quinta das Tecedeiras Reserva 2016.. 87pts

The Antinori family has been involved in wine production for more than six centuries, ever since 1385, when Giovanni di Piero Antinori became a member of the “Arte Fiorentina”, the Florence’s Association of Wine Producers. Over twenty-six generations, the family has always managed the business directly, making courageous and sometimes innovative decisions, while keeping unchanged the fundamental respect for the tradition and territory in which they operate.

Today, the company is managed by Albiera Antinori with the support of her sisters Allegra and Alessia, who are directly involved in the business. Marquis Piero is now the company’s honorary president. Tradition, passion and intuition were the three principles which led the Marquis Antinori company to become a leader in Italian wines. In 1978, one of the most important wines for the company, Italy and the world, came into being: Solaia.

Piero Antinori produced the first Solaia vintage, a “cru” from a vineyard of the same name, next to the Tignanello vineyard, in the sunniest area of the hill (from which its name is derived).

The initial blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, successively modified to include Sangiovese. The wine is barrel-aged for 12 months, followed by 12 months in the bottle.

The 2015 vintage currently on the market is one of the most promising ever, a real treasure, garnering great critical acclaim, including the achievement of receiving 100 points out of 100 from two of the most renowned international critics, James Suckling and Robert Parker.

Yet another super Tuscan.

I’ve previously shared the legend that serves as inspiration for this wine. In the 2014 harvest I gave it a special shoutout, at the time it was a “perfect anonymous”. But it quickly evolved into an “always present”.

A wine that is created from two of the most famous castes from the Demarcated Region of Douro, Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. I’ve already had the opportunity to try the newest harvest, 2015, and unsurprisingly it’s another excellent wine from a year that’s fast becoming one of the best for the region.

In the taste, it shows an intense ruby colour with black fruit and blueberry aromas, well-enveloped with the roasted notes of the French oak barrel stage. The taste itself, with well-rounded, mature, well-integrated tannins in a very elegant structure, delivers a long and persistent finish.

Highly recommended.