Old Colheitas and Bacalhau

A week ago I was back in Porto – my second visit this year. Lovely.

This time I was here with the board of The Vintage Port Club, and the main reason was the Enthronement Ceremony at the Confraria do Vinho do Porto and the dinner after. But we arrived a couple of days before and off course we spent our time visiting port lodges for meetings and tastings. Everywhere we were welcomed with great hospitality and kindness.

The first day we met Alvaro van Zeller from Barão de Vilar and Maynards, who visited the Club for our annual Winemaker’s Dinners earlier this year. Alvaro kindly poured from his old stocks of Colheita and from bottles in the tasting room. First we had 2003 in two different blends – one of them sweet and heavy with a lot of coconut flavor. Then we had a 10 years white Tawny followed by white colheitas from 2004 and 2003 and colheitas from 1998, 1970, 1963, 1947 and 1934. My favorite again was 1963 with its great balance, but 1947 was great as well, very dark and intense with caramel. 1934 is off course delicious, but for my taste it is a bit too concentrated with its balsamic character. I prefer more freshness like in the 1963.

The visit at Barão de Vilar had another purpose. The Vintage Port Club will celebrate its 25^th years Anniversary later this year. The club was established in 1989 by a group of Port lovers. The Anniversary will be celebrated in two ways. We will arrange an international event and a big tasting of Vintage 1994, and at the date of the founding of the Club we will have a tasting of both Vintage and Colheitas from 1989. Besides this we will release our own White Colheita 1989. It is Alvaro van Zeller who has found a cask and blended our Jubilee Port. When we visited him we tasted two different versions and decided which one it should be. We choose the bottle shape and size as well. Now we just have to design labels.

After the visit we were have dinner with Alvaro in the restaurant Bacalhau in Ribeira – a very nice family owned place with good Portuguese cooking.

The next couple of days we visited several Port Lodges. Some reports will follow soon.

Colheitas from Maynard´s

In February the Portuguese winemaker and master blender Álvaro van Zeller visited Denmark. He was invited by the The Vintage Port Club to participate in the annual Winemakers Dinner, which this year took place at Restaurant Pasfall in Odense.

Together with his brother Fernando, Álvaro van Zeller founded Barão de Vilar as late as 1996. The company is young but is building on long traditions. The van Zeller family owned Quinta do Noval until 1993. When they sold the prestigious quinta to the French insurance company AXA, they were not allowed to sell port in the next five years. The first vintage from the new company is therefore 1996, bottled in 1998. Since then they have declared in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007 and latest 2011.

The company sells its port under two different labels, Barão de Vilar and Maynard´s – the latter for the English speaking marked and named after the late Walter Maynard, who through his marriage with Dorothea Augusta Kopke became part of the family. Besides that they own the label Feuerheerd´s too.

The vintages are doing well in tastings, but the company’s speciality is old colheitas based on stocks bought from small quintas and matured by the Casa do Douro. Álvaro van Zeller brought both with him to the tasting in the Club. Listed in the order, they were served, we had:

White Colheita 2003

Colheita 2001

Colheita 1988

Colheita 1982

Colheita 1977

Colheita 1973

Colheita 1970

Colheita 1963

Colheita 1951

Colheita 1939

Vintage 2011

Vintage 2007

Vintage 2004

All were bottled under the Maynard´s label. Here are a few remarks and notes:

The white port was excellent – especially when it comes to value for money – and convinced me again that white port with age is underestimated. A golden and beautiful colour, powerful in the nose with almonds and some orange peal. Soft, well balanced and tasty. Álvaro told us that more white colheitas will be released and mentioned the years 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010. I am looking forward.

In the long row of Colheitas, I will mention 1982. Impressive and well balanced as usual. Even better were the 1963 and the 1951. Both dark brown with a lot of almonds in the nose. 1951 with brown sugar, prunes and sweetness. 1963 better balanced with acid and fruit to match the sweetness. 1939 was very dark and concentrated. Brown sugar and balsamic, a bit burned in the taste and very intense.    

Among the younger 2001 still had a lot of fresh fruit and acid, but was closed. 1988 unfortunately had too much Douro-bake after years on barrels in the Douro. 1977 and 1973 were not that impressive.

All three Vintages were still young, but with potential, even though 2007 was surprisingly open and drinkable right now, but had fruit and acid for a long life as well. 2004 was not that powerful, but quit elegant. 2011 had loads of fruit, fresh berries and powerful tannins.

After the tasting we had a lovely dinner created by chef Thomas Pasfall and of course served with wines from the hands of Álvaro van Zeller except the wonderful CV Douro Red from Quinta Vale D. Maria, made by Álvaros cousin Cristiano van Zellers and winemaker Sandra Tavares.

Here is the menu:

Starter: 

Cod, crispy cod roe, toast and herbs

Solar das Bouças Vinho Verde 2012

Main course:

Vale tenderloin, shank, creamy and salted celery, mushrooms & truffle sauce

Quinta de Zom Douro tinto 2009 & CV Curriculum Vitae Douro tinto 2010

Cheese:

Variations of cheese, stewed fruit & grilled bread

Maynard’s Vintage 2004

Dessert:

Caramelised pure of apple, kiss of yoghurt, sorbet & chocolate ganache

Maynard´s 20 Years Old Tawny

Coffee & sweets