Palha Canas, 2007, €13.95

Seeing as this week has been wine filled I felt it was okay to treat myself to something I personally had tucked away for a month or so waiting to open. Why was that such a treat? It’s coming from one of those few wine countries that I have always felt I get a bargain from, Portugal. Now dust off the images of port and Christmas for just a second. Because what you can be exposed to in this gem of a region if you simply take that first leap is truly quite astounding.

 

I could rant and rave for an extended period about why this is; however there is a better way - to let you read about my little treat for the week.

Let’s start popping the cork on this review, nose of a valop styled cherry assault the nose but not aggressively offing more of a velvet blanket to fall head first into. Things left curious by an underbelly of thick plum. This entire nose starts to take a berry like-structure and the juice of the wine can literally be detected vividly on the nose. Vanilla begins to start puncturing the fruit so prevalent on the nose. This is where in my experience of Portuguese wine, things liven up and they begin to distinguish themselves from the pack.

Berry notes started to become more distinct and developing into a riper red currant. Now excitement gets to me and the nose starts to dance with my fancies,. A mature cheddar giving grain to the nose, and a cider box smell that I am sure one of the team is obsessed over. The ashy tobacco lingers for a while, giving away the great depth this wine is hiding, and in a final swoop the wine already steals my heart, a new appearance on the scene blackcurrant evolving and existing alongside the redcurrant.

Swirling the glass, I finally pulled myself from the nose and was rewarded with a silky smooth cherry dominating the palate and having the nose mimicked with plum forming a core to the wine. The spices started to dance on the palate now too- cinnamon, a dominant one, its presence adding a wood sweet life across the palate. The tobacco developed and cheery filled the voids at the edge of the palate, vanilla began to cream up the alongside the notes of cinnamon.

A mild tannic structure had been forgotten as the fruits and sweet spices danced the palate fixating.

A textbook bargain from the Portuguese. Giving itself away at €13.95, from the Mill Wine Cellar. Something that tickled my tastes, and that I strongly advise tasting.

Score: 79


Rob