31.10.13

Happening Now Tasting 7: Sociedade Agrícola do Carneiro Pactus Touriga Nacional 2008, Regional Lisboa




Hi there fellows! Once again it is time for some “Happening Now Tasting” material! This time I'd like to enter the realm of the grand variety Touriga Nacional. No doubt there are magnificent dry products from Douro, Dao and all the others. Today however, it is capital - and surroundings - time. Until 2009 all wines from this large and not so well received region were mostly named after the historical central province Extremadura. Nowadays there are a few VRs surrounding the capital city. More precisely today's wine comes from the Lisboa VR. It is a 100% short term fermented and aged (8 to 10 days resp. approx. 6 months) Touriga Nacional from approx. twelve year young vines. The vines were cultivated on clayey-calcareous soils of Quinta do Carneiro in Alenquer about 50 km north of Lisbon. Let's check it out … if it is going to make my Halloween Night!?!



6:14 pm CET (just opened)

Colour: mostly intransparent dark garnet red straight to the rim which seems very lush and super vital

Nose: gently and intensely perfumed nose with plenty of red currant and huckleberry fragrances, a fine freshness providing infusion of lime, traces of slightly hard'ish and dark wood and a few indications of semi brown earth – right now the nose it totally dominated by those mentioned ripe and lean appearing fruit fragrances, underlying characteristics might appear in a while … might

Taste: totally dominated by very deeply gripping and expressive fruit flavours – however surprisingly precise ones - same aromas as the nasal ones; no real indications for a underlying mineral touch; rather present and still relatively strong tannins; structurally a firm but not super concentrated Touriga Nacional with nice freshness and vitality; no oak - alcohol or sweetness issues at all, right now just a bit too much domination by those very intense fruit flavours

7:44 pm


Nose: apart of the already mentioned a few herbal/spicy semi sweet pastry fragrances are about to evolve, besides that a few fruitful and slightly ethereal bramble'ish touch is hitting the nasal stage as well


Taste: those nasal bramble aromas are showing on the palatal as well, here a bit more dusty and even a bit more ethereal; here those pastry aromas are not that distinct, I am under the impression to taste a few high volume chocolate'y flavours in combination with cinnamon flavours not so much of pure pastry stuff


9:22 pm



Nose: right now the lime characteristics seem to “reinforce” again; the pastry declined; a bit more semi dark brown earth and pepper'ish herbs, too; overall no real substantial change



Taste: the sweetness of the those mentioned berry flavours seems a bit more present and slightly out of balance; more and stronger fresh lime flavours on the palate, too; traces of minor savage and sweaty animallike flavours are evolving – just traces; maybe a few flinty washed stone characteristics, too



10:41 pm



No significant changes. Perhaps one more update tomorrow evening ...



For now, most definitely a physic enriching power, however not really heavy, redster with a certain tang of fruitful sublimity to elegantly fight off those nasty Halloween spirits I've just watched on the box. Decent **** stuff for little money! A bit unusually lean, anyway I just love this variety!

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