| Country: | Portugal |
| Region: | Douro |
| Winery: | Romariz Port |
| Grape Type: | Port Blend |
| Vintage: | 2005 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Flowering in the Duoro occurred in the last 10 days of May. The weather conditions provided for a perfect flowering season. The Romariz Vintage Port 2003 yielded wines of great color and supple tannins, with a vintage stamp being evident in most wines. Production: 8,000 cases. "Another bright and fruity young Vintage Port with plum, grape and blackberry aromas with just a hint of stems. Serious nose here. Full-bodied, with soft, round tannins and a long, caressing finish. A beauty."
- J.S., Wine Spectator, 89-91 pts
"Bright dark ruby. Deep, perfumed aromas of cassis, licorice, violet and minerals. Lush and high-toned in the mouth but with very good vinosity and spine. Lovely fruit-driven flavors of black cherry, blackberry and dark chocolate. Little sign of the roasted side of 2003. Not hugely concentrated but suave, supple, minerally and sweet. Finishes with ripe tannins and very good spicy persistence. A very good showing. Accessible already but balanced for medium-term aging."
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, 89 pts
Romariz Vintage Port is made from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca
Deep inky purple color. Intricate nose with aromas of blackberries and logan berries, subtle hints of amber and spring blossom and delicate spice. A tight, well-formed palate with an abundance of dark berry fruit, rich chocolate and liquorice, culminating in a long finish. Firm, closely woven tannins that give the wine great structure and body. An elegant finely constituted Vintage Port which will drink beautifully now or age quietly in the cellar.
A vintage port is made from blended grapes, all from the same vintage year. Vintage ports are historically only declared every 3 out of 10 years. Romariz vintage ports age for up to two years in oak, then go unfiltered into the bottle for further aging.
Romariz White Port is a blend of wines from the Arinto, Boal, Codega, Esagna CAO, Folgasao, Gouveio, Viosinho, and Rabigato grapes grown in the Douro. This is aged in oak for three years. Aromas of fruit cocktail, round and full, orange-nutty undertone, strong flavored and sweet. Refreshing summertime drink on ice.
FOOD MATCH: Served alone for after-dinner sipping.
"Opaque ruby. A complex, beautifully structured wine from Europe’s hot summer of 2003. Lively spicy, toasted aromas and a ripe and generous palate with layers of rich, dense flavors of dark fruit, chocolate, tobacco, spice box and a hint of marmalade. Finishes dry and long with still firm tannins. A delicious Port that should be paired with Roquefort and other blue cheeses."
- International Wine Review (Succulent Sweet Wines for the Holidays: The Best of 2018), 92 pts
Made from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela
The color is beginning to denote the age, showing a certain similarity to coffee and waxed wood. The aroma combines quince-jam, delicate orange blossom and a touch of vanilla. Delicious smooth butterscotch and dried fruit flavors.
A Romariz Colheita brings together the finest wines from good extensive stocks to express the individual richness and flavours of the particular year enhanced by the nutty characteristics that come with the Tawny ageing process.
Pairs with nut based desserts, pecan pie and apple strudel.
On the nose there are fresh and intense aromas of black fruit with spicy notes.
On the palate, the flavor of black fruits (cherries and blackberries) is balanced by ripe, soft tannins with an intense and long finish.
Pair as digestive or pairing with strong cheeses and dark chocolate desserts.
The Port has been aged in oak for 5 years. Fruity and suave aromas. A delicate softness and goes particularly well with nuts, almonds and cheese.
The Romariz Port Estate
The port house of Romariz was founded in 1850 by Manoel (Manuel) da Rocha Romariz. Manoel was a descendant from a well known Oporto family.
Over the years, Romariz developed business dealings in Brazil and other Portuguese Colonies (Africa and China), and to a lesser extent England. Historically, Romariz was known for wood ports, like Colheitas (single vintage Tawnies) and in top years vintage ports.
In 1966, the Romariz family sold their brand and business to Guimaraens & Co. (who own Fonsecca) and the business continued on. Some years passed by and eventually Fonsecca and Taylor’s joined forces. Today, Fonsecca, Talyor and Romariz share the same winemaker and facility in Vila Nova de Gaia.
Today, Romariz offers a wide range of Ports: wood, vintage, LBV’s and Colheitas. Their main markets are Portugal, Denmark and France. All grapes come from region #2, Cima Corgo, the heart of the best growing area along the Douro River. Romariz being a “Portuguese” port firm, adheres to a rich warm style of port wines.
Franz Prager, co-founder of the Vinea Wachau, had already earned a reputation for his wines when Toni Bodenstein married into the family. Bodenstein’s passion for biodiversity and old terraces, coupled with brilliant winemaking, places Prager in the highest echelon of Austrian producers.
Smaragd is a designation of ripeness for dry wines used exclusively by members of the Vinea Wachau. The wines must have minimum alcohol of 12.5%. The grapes are hand-harvested, typically in October and November, and are sent directly to press where they spontaneously ferment in stainless-steel tanks.
Klaus sits adjacent to Achleiten and is one of the Wachau’s most famous vineyards for Riesling. The vineyard is incredibly steep with a gradient of 77% at its steepest point. The southeast-facing terraced vineyard of dark migmatite-amphibolite and paragneiss produces a tightly wound and powerful wine. The parcel belonging to Toni Bodenstein was planted in 1952.
Tasting Notes:
Austrian Riesling is often defined by elevated levels of dry extract thanks to a lengthy ripening period and freshness due to dramatic temperature swings between day and night. “Klaus is not a charming Riesling,” says Toni Bodenstein with a wink. Klaus is Prager’s most assertive and robust Riesling.
Food Pairing
Riesling’s high acidity makes it one of the most versatile wines at the table. Riesling can be used to cut the fattiness of foods such as pork or sausages and can tame some saltiness. Conversely, it can highlight foods such as fish or vegetables in the same way a squeeze of lemon or a vinaigrette might.
Review:
Superbly cool, restrained and refined, this austere, beautiful dry riesling is a slow-burn masterpiece that's only just beginning to reveal its complex white-peach, white-tea, wild-herb and dark-berry character. Super-long and mineral finish. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 97 Points
Chavy-Chouet Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Folatieres is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Les Folatieres is among the most celebrated Premier Cru climats of Puligny-Montrachet, climbing a steep, mid-slope incline of thin, marly limestone with the bedrock never far below the surface. In the cellar of Domaine Chavy-Chouet in Meursault it becomes a benchmark white Burgundy, drawn from vines of around fifty years.
Fermented on native yeasts and raised a year in French oak with a fifth new, it is concentrated yet precise, layering ripe citrus and orchard fruit over flint and crushed stone, with the drive, depth and long, saline finish that reward a few years in the cellar.