Wine consumption has been curtailed on my part for health reasons, but I allowed myself two consecutive “cheat days” this weekend and it felt great.
I ordered the 2022 Druida Encruzado, from Nuno do Ó’s celebrated project in the Dão, from the spectacular wine list at the restaurant of Aguda’s municipal park. It’s spectacular in both its scope and its values, with a lot of wines selling at little more than ordinary retail price (not to mention the wonderful traditional portuguese food). Encruzado rarely shows best when young, but this was pretty terrific already, like imbibing liquid flint. Tense, fresh, refreshingly angular. Paired with fresh cod fillets and cockle rice.
The 2000 Quinta do Moinho was part of an ongoing effort to consume my sizable stash of mature Luís Pato wines, and picked at a whim among them. The nose was charming and graceful, like picking fresh strawberries off a sun kissed field (this particular vintage reached only 12,5% abv). The palate was lively and tart, with remarkable persistency. Not a heavy lifter of a wine, but still plenty left in the tank here.
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Great notes Tomas, good to see you on here posting about wonderful Portuguese wines. Hope your health allows for more of it in the future!
Thanks! It already does, AFAIK. I’m just afraid of how to reconcile this hobby with strength training and hypertrophy goals, which I direly need as an orchestral violinist working long hours in unnatural positions.
Drank through three of those Patos in the last year and a half; they were a bit variable, but all good. I didn’t perceive any upside in aging them longer.
The “parque municipal” in Aguda is a complex that includes a gym, sports fields and a restaurant. The restaurant is under concession to a couple; the wife is Miguel Castro Silva’s cousin, and an excellent modern interpreter of Portuguese cuisine (just like her cousin). The husband is responsible for the fantastic wine list.
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I’ve had the 2021 Druida Encruzdo and my tasting notes were similar to yours for the 2022. Simply one of the best white wines that I’ve had in years. Burgundy lovers would be pleased with this one. I would love to try it again with some age but doubt that I could keep my hands off for very long.
