MIPTC #20 - Cabriz Organic Dão 2018

When I started typing thing, I kind of couldn't believe it. Can you believe we're already at number 20 of the #MIPTC newsletter? That sounds SO crazy to me.

Oh, and don't evcn get me started about the fact that more than 1500 people (and counting!) have subscribed to my weekly ramblings. I feel so fortunate to have this platform, you folks. Thank you so darn much for sticking around and enabling my geeky penchants every Friday.

Now, as some of you know, I've had a hell of a week. My son had had a few cold-like symptoms for much of last week, but since he didn't have a fever and didn't seem unwell at all, we kind of carried on. Last Sunday, however, things took a turn: fever, coughing that keeps him (and us) up for most of the night, nose running like a faucet... I'll spare you the details, but let me tell you it was a week. He's better now, by the way, so here's to hoping we can all get back to some kind of normalcy in our lives (pretty please?)

Wine-wise, all this adversity meant I needed comfort and not adventure. When Thursday night rolled around (I don't drink during weekdays except for Thursday nights), I chose to go with something I knew I could count on. In the Fall/Winter season, this usually means a Portugese red, so that's what I reached for.

You know I love a good Portugese red in this season already, and I've sung their praises regarding value before too, but it still deserves to be said again: if you're looking for a somewhat robust, warm and cuddly red wine under 30$, Portugal is very likely to have you covered and smiling. This is one I bought by the half-case and case before, and never once regretted the purchase. It also makes a lovely host gift if you're going somewhere for dinner, as it will pair with pretty much any red-wine-ready food.

So here's to dependable and great value wines - those that may not make us feel like writing a technical essay on their quirks and super niche status, but warm our hearts and feed our souls just the same when appreciated in good company.

The Skinny

• From: Dâo E Lafôes, Portugal.

• Varietals: Aragonez 50 %, Touriga nacional 50 %

• Price: about $18,30 CAD

• Feature: Certified organic

Tasting Notes

On the nose, this demands attention from the onset with quite a bit going on. Flowers come first (violet, crushed rose petals), before giving way to a strong core of black berries such as blackberries and blueberries. There's a bit of a crushed pink pepper kick to the nose as well, which integrates nicely with more subtle warm spices notes such as cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla (the latters being indicative of newish oak ageing if you recall my post on the subject). All is well integrated, and nothing is too out there or coarse. Lovely if not life-changing.

On the palate, this immediately feels like a rather "big" wine, though not in an excessive Cali-fruit-bomb type of way. Blackberry preserve is the main note here, though you also get some warm spices and dark cherry flavors as well. There's quite a bit of freshness coming from good acidity, which I guess helps keeping all this fruit together. Tannins are present but not raspy. This is not complex or head scratching in any way, which I guess is part of the appeal: just pure, honest fruit flavors with just enough ageing and structure to keep things interesting. Alcohol is well integrated and there's just a hint of sweetness you can maybe perceive after a few glasses, but nothing cloying or otherwise problematic (to me, at least).

Cutting To The Chase: Does It Please The Cork?

This hit the nail on the head for what I wanted after a rough week: pure, honest flavors that didn't demand too much from me. I must say I was expecting a tad more complexity due to the nose being even more interesting, but I'm not really disappointed as this really does what I wanted it to do quite well - and especially at this price. Would purchase again for sure.

Cork Score: 3/5*

***

*Here's the lowdown on the scores, by the way. Essentially, I don't believe in 100-point scales for things as subjective as wine. Simply put, I just don't think one can credibly justify a 1% or even a 10% increment between two wines. I therefore choose to go a bit more basic. Here's how I break it down:

• 1/5: Seriously faulty, terrible, undrinkable;

• 2/5: Flawed and/or of bad quality. This is the type of stuff you should probably cook with and not drink;

• 3/5: Decent. This is where most entries will end up. These wines are clean and well-balanced, but not particularly memorable and/or exceptional. They are recommendable, but not an experience per se;

• 4/5: Exceptional. I sadly drink few wines that get this rating, but my purpose is to drink more. This denotes a memorable bottle that brought up some kind of emotion in me. This left a mark, and odds are I am now busy recommending it to everybody I know;

• 5/5: Perfect. I think I have probably tasted less than 5 bottles that would have qualified for a 5/5 in my entire life. This denotes an absolutely incredible wine that will imprint a definite memory for years to come - a true experience in itself.