Branco/Whites
Quinta dos Roques Bical 2017 13% Nicely fruited with white peach and green plum characters. Rounded, even a touch oily in a good way, with undercurrent of acidity. 15/20 Tasted 2018
Quinta dos Roques Cerceal 2017 13.5% Steely aromas, a bit Arinto-Riesling like. Slick and juicy in the mouth with succulent white peach flavors, fine acidity and pleasing degree of minerality throughout. A very interesting wine. 16/20 Tasted 2018
Quinta dos Roques Branco 2017 13.5% This blend of Encruzado, Bical, Malvasina Fina, Sercial and Gouveo is harvested earlier than in the past, hence its more floral and crisper than previously. A nice clean with with citrus fruits, linearity, great acidity and good length 15/20 Tasted 2018
Quinta dos Roques Branco 2010 13.5% This blend of Encruzado, Bical, Malvasina Fina, Sercial and Verdelho is richer, and more fruity than Quinta Maias. Leading with fresh, apple-like fruit carried through a round, plush, smooth texture with firm acidity. The wine is very clean and long, with great weight and denseity, excellent overall balance and a tapered finish. Tasted 2012
Quinta dos Roques Encruzado 2016 Spends one year in bottle and one in oak. A savory, mineral nose is followed with a buttery, texture with subtle pineapple/mandarine tropical flavors and balanced acidty. Locals love cod and goat cheese with, especially good with Serra Estrella sheep cheese. 16.5/20 Tasted 2018
Quinta dos Roques Encruzado 2010 13.5% Initially quite closed down aromatically, hinting of melons and stonefruits, with nutty, vanilla, oak notes. Textures were broad and seamless, with firm visceral structures, finishing with fine oak tannins and vanilla flavors. The wine needs more time for fruit to re-emerge and integrate, but great potential here. Tasted 2012
Quinta das Maias Malvasia Fina 2017 Displays a nice suble balance of minerality, touch of fruit, florals and spice. Brightly flavored with a lovely liner style, fine viscosity and fine acidity. 16/20 Tasted 2018
Quinta das Maias Malvasia-Fina 2010 13.5% This is an highly refined, elegantly styled wine with delicate florals, fine textures and a long melt-away finish. 17/20 Tasted 2012
Quinta das Maias Gouveio (formerly Verdelho) 2017 13.5% Opens with fresh green stem aromas, leading on into full fleshy, fresh texture carrying white peach/ apple flavors. A gastronomic style with a nice touch of bitterness from skins and zingy acidic, but with a dash interesting, exotic fruits. 15.5/20 Tasted 2018
Quinta das Maias Verdelho Branco 2009 13% This unoaked style, employs a gentle form of battonage via nitrogen infusion pumped through bottom of tank. The bouquet is packed with dried herb, mineral, cantaloupe, fresh orchid blossom and stem florals. In the mouth it plays out through a finely viscous palate laced with undercurrent of fresh crisp acidity. This is a fine grained, ultra clean, racy style of wine that suggests huge potential in Dao. Tasted 2012
Quinta das Maias Branco 2010 13.5% Made from Malvasina Fina, Encruzado, Cercial and Verdelho this wine is more delicately perfumed and elegant than its sister Roques. It has a finer nose and palate weight, cooler feeling in the mouth, with brighter fruit and lovely fine acidity. Tasted 2012
Tinto/Reds
Quinta dos Roques Jaen 2017 13.8% Interesting mix of mineral and funky notes shading a with deep core of black cherry-like aromas and flavors, Velvety, concentrated in the mouth with well-structured balance of fine tannins and acidity.17/20 Tasted 2018
Quinta das Maias Jaen 2008 13.3% Aromatically closed at the moment, with strong graphite notes. In the mouth it offers concentrated savoury red fruit and mineral flavors. The wine is quite tight on the palate, but shows good length, and lovely juicy back palate concentration. As it opens up, tart red cherry flavors emerge and acidity feels more prominent than tannins. A well focused wine with great linearity. Tasted 2012
Quinta dos Roques Touriga Nacional 2016 13.8% A complex, well rounded aroma mix of red and black fruits with violet floral high notes. Creamy and seamless in the mouth with firm tannins - typically varietal, midpalate tannins. Great example. 17/20 Tasted 2018
Quinta dos Roques Touriga Nacional 2008 13.8% I found this wine very reduced, with slightly, smoky/toasty, pongy aromas, but after ½ hour of airing it developed and opened up with spice, beautifully focused black cherry fruits. The wine has great length and firm tannins, obviously needs more time in bottle, but clearly has great potential. Tasted 2012
Quinta dos Roques Tinto 2009 13.5% A relatively subdued blend of Touriga, Jaen, Alfrocheiro, and Rorirz showing reduced mineral and red fruits on nose at the moment. More expressive in the mouth, it offers very great juicy red fruit persistence and a finish that’s nicely tapered. It’s relatively linear for this region. Tasted 2012
Quinta dos Roques Reserva 2007 This is from an old field blend of Touriga Nacional (55-60%) Jaen, Alfrocheiro, Roriz, Tinto Cao, various unknown grapes, and a single baga vine. Smoky, toasty oak aromas lead on to a mouthful of explosive red fruit characters with great persisitence, all of which is shot through with piercing acidity that wells up at the end with a mouthwatering red fruit juiciness. Complex and superbly structured, this is great wine. Tasted 2012
Quinta dos Roques Tinta Reserva 2007 This is a classic blend of Touriga Nacional 55%, Alfrocheiro 20%, Roriz 5%, Jaen 15%. Tinta Cao 5%. Drawn from Roques's oldest (30 year old) vineyard and produced in neutral older oak barrels, the wine shows a superb mix of savoury red fruits and smoky, roasted aromas and flavors. A big mouth-filling wine with great focus, length and finesse, it will evolve into something very special in a few years. Tasted 2012
Quinta das Maias Tinto 2009 13.5% This blend of Jaen, Touriga, Alfrocheiro, Rorirz is highly aromatic, melding florals with fresh pine, dried herb notes and fresh red cherry fruitiness. In the mouth it offers a juicy mix of raspberry and cherry flavors throughout the finish. I especially liked its firm fine tannins, great length a nd back palate concentration. Tasted 2012
Quinta das Maias ‘Flor das Maias’ 2007 14% This blend of 85% Touriga, 10% Alfrocheiro and 5% Roriz was made from a 1 round, hand selection of Maias’s best bunches. It intends to make a special statement about touriga from this terroir. Aromas are an enticingly complex mix of pencil shavings and dried black cherry aromas, with a touch of spirits. It is a very dense nose, followed by ever deeper textured with explosive concentration, but well tempered by fine, powdery tannins and balancing acidity. Only 1000 bottles were produced. 30eu Tasted 2012