Historical tasting in historical surroundings! To taste the Buçaco wines is to taste history, it is an ultra rich experience. To taste them exactly in their birthplace and noble home it's simply legendary. We received this ultra honourable invitation from João Rico to be present at a special tasting at Bussaco Palace Hotel, organised by the wine organisation Baga Friends, which included a grand master tasting of several of Buçaco's vintages and with the extra bonus of tasting some older vintages from other producers of the for mentioned cluster. Read more...

Conclusions (16,5/20) - very good quality, well defined fruit profile that's ripe but never losing freshness. Velvet texture spiked by some very fine-grained tannins. Some herbaceous and spicy notes add some complexity, but not that much, and lead to a pleasant lengthy aftertaste. Perfect drink ability. Drink now, ageing doesn't seem to be its purpose, it is showing delicious right now. Read more...

Kind of wine one can drink a bottle effortlessly. 

Approximate retail price - €10

Conclusions (17,5/20) - very good quality wine, showing all the typical arguments of fine Aussie Shiraz, lots of fruit concentration, juicy, richly flavoured and textured, mouth coating and super smooth and just the right amount of acidity to liven it up. Layers of fruit and spice, sweetish, but lovely maturity with kernal and animal notes adding complexity. Endless length. Drink now, this is clearly the apogee, nevertheless, it is not fading on the short term.  Keep the temperature way down to balance it's 15,5% abv. Read more...

Approximate retail price - €26

Conclusions (17,5/20) - very good quality, refreshingly mouthwatering, vibrant fruit very well balanced by just enough oak aging, which is just giving structure and slightly toasty hints, discrete and pleasing. I find some more volume on the palate, maybe Viognier won the battle this year, but perfectly balanced by the Sauvignon vivacity. It is ready to drink now, but I find some interest in keeping it for 3 to 4 years to see it developing and mellowing. Pairing wise I'm thinking of oven baked fatty fish but not that rich on the sauce. Read more...

Approximate retail price - €15

Conclusions (18,5/20) - Outstanding wine, impossible not to love! Delicate fruit, precise, ripe but so fresh, backed by a lovely acidity backbone that keeps you wanting more. Texture wise it is pure fluid elegance, caressing your palate every sip like velvet. Regardless all this delicious drink ability it's structure of spicy tannins and the perfect acidity hint at a long healthy ageing potential, 10 years won't do it any harm at all, in fact I'm anxious for the savouriness it will surely bring. Read more...

Approximate retail price - €60

Conclusions (17/20) - very good quality wine, nice fruit concentration, generous and well defined. Fairly complex with the ripe character balanced by some savoury and spicy notes, clearly noticeable the Malbec influence in the blend. Very interesting wine that should keep well for the next 6 years. Read more...

Approximate retail price - €20

Conclusions (17,5/20) - very good quality, showing nice tipicity, with fresh and lively tones of fruit mingled with some flowery notes. The initial attack on the palate is quite aggressive but than it reacts nicely and becomes more smooth and has a particularly prolonged fresh aftertaste. Fairly complex, super precise, interesting and apparently a good company to salty, acidic food. Drink now, it drinks effortlessly,  and I don't think it is going to improve much further. Read more...

Approximate retail price - €17

Conclusions (17,5/20) - very good wine, simply delicious! Everything is so perfectly in place and in balance, very fresh and focused tropical fruit profile, totally in tune with a vibrant supporting acidity, a smooth velvety texture, finishing complexly spicy and mineral with a very long, pleasing length. Absolutely fantastic to drink now, this wine shows the structure to develop nicely for the next 5 years, leaving some of the intense fruitiness behind to show more pungent and vegetal aromas (not that I see much point in waiting). Read more...

Approximate retail price - €20

Of all the trips a wine lover might aspire to, Burgundy has the highest mystic component. There's something about the region that is kind of magically appealing, so well captured by the best wines that use the two noble grapes of this surroundings, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as a canvas to color with the purest expression of terroir. Read more...

Conclusions (16,75/20) - very good quality wine, a clear sense of place and varietal expressive, tons of freshness with a crispy acidity very well integrated with the vibrant citrus fruits. Ready to drink, will be a perfect partner at the table to a wide variety of dishes, but it has enough acid backbone to age gracefully 5 years further. Read more...

Approximate retail price - €15