James Suckling (99)

Extremely deep red with aromas and flavors that change all the time with blackberry, black raspberry, black licorice, floral and asphalt. Full-bodied with deep intensity, power and finesse. The tannins are wonderfully polished yet so much there. This is a tribute to the first great Barca Velhas of the 1960s. Drinkable, but better in three or four years.

James Suckling (99)

Extremely deep red with aromas and flavors that change all the time with blackberry, black raspberry, black licorice, floral and asphalt. Full-bodied with deep intensity, power and finesse. The tannins are wonderfully polished yet so much there. This is a tribute to the first great Barca Velhas of the 1960s. Drinkable, but better in three or four years.

Matthew Jukes (20)

Every so often, well, to be precise, this is the 21st occasion in 72 years a mind-blowing red wine is released in Portugal. It is no understatement to say that Barca-Velha is a legendary creation. The 2015 vintage will arrive in the UK a couple of days after this piece is published, so you are the first to hear about its greatness. I have been fortunate to taste a number of older Barca-Velha vintages, and they age more gracefully than most top-flight red Bordeaux. Only the other day, I tasted a 1982 that was fresh, supremely complex and mind-bendingly delicious. So, on the brink of the release of the 2015 vintage, I was fortunate to taste it with the President of Sogrape (owners of Casa Ferreirinha) and winemaker Luís Sottomayor, who has worked at this illustrious estate since 1989. And what a wine! Luís explained that the conditions of the 2015 growing season were wholly responsible for this wine’s extraordinary potential. A relatively dry and warm winter and spring led to an early veraison, and then August was cooler with crisp nights, and a couple of showers refreshed the vines in September. These are the conditions that give rise to epic-quality fruit. With the depth and gravitas of the amazing 2011 vintage and the definition and freshness of the 2008, this 2015 combines all the finest attributes of my favourite Barca-Velha wines, resulting in a creation of uncommon purity, depth, and beauty. While a quiet renaissance has been happening at Ferreirinha for a decade or more, the story seems complete, with 2015 Barca-Velha gaining a perfect 20/20 score in my notes. Yes, this is the finest Portuguese red wine I have ever tasted.

Wine Enthusiast (95)

The wine comes from a quinta in the Douro Superior that forms part of the blend for the iconic Barca Velha wine. This wine shows the same pedigree and richness, with a beautiful balance and restraint. The black fruits are still vivid and need to soften further into the concentrated tannins. This is a wine for serious aging and should not be drunk before 2024.

Matthew Jukes (18+)

Because this trio of wines runs in a neat sequence, I made one consecutive note to cover all three vintages – a direct comparative tasting note, if you will. 2016 is my preferred wine – it is the grandest, and it has the most potential. It is one of the finest value, elite reds I have tasted in a very long time. The 2017 is more refined, the most forward, most restaurant friendly and most open. It is lighter, more herbal, and it will get you in the mood while the others have a chance to mellow. I will hold back on any more notes on this wine because it is my MoneyWeek wine of the week this Friday! Finally, the 2018, which is a beauty. More flamboyant, more plush and sensual, and it is not dissimilar to the 2016 in fruit expression, but it is not quite as powerful or as impactful. Either way, you need all three in your collection because if you like each of these wines for their respective character traits, I can imagine you will follow this label for the rest of your days.

Matthew Jukes (19+)

This is a stunningly serious wine with extraordinary class and detail. I wrote ‘utterly gobsmacking’ in my notebook – not words I often use. There is phenomenal balance, a stunning mid-palate, and epic length here, and this makes 2020 Leda the finest value £50 red wine on earth, not least if you want to drink a bottle now or in 30 years!

James Suckling (98)

Dark fruit with black cherries, blackcurrants, mineral, and slate undertones. Medium to full body. Racy fine tannins. It’s chewy and driven. This is an undeclared Barca Velha. Superb Douro red. Latour of the Douro. A blend of 42% touriga franca, 34% touriga nacional, 13% tinta roriz, and 11% tinto cao. Drink after 2025.

Vinous - Neal Martin (1870) (97)

The 1870 Centenario Colheita Tawny Port has a deep colour, one you would expect from a Tawny of 148 years. It has an arresting bouquet with scents of black plum, rosehip syrup, Manuka honey, fig and grilled walnut. To be honest, it was far less oxidative than I expected and that is followed through on the palate. Beautifully balanced, fresh and slightly viscous in texture, this is a complex Tawny Port whose age has not diminished just how delicious it tastes. It just goes out to offer gorgeous mulberry, clove, eau de vie and Chinese five-spice notes throughout its harmonious and poised finish. This is just a sublime Tawny of class and pedigree and it comes highly recommended.

Wine Advocate (98)

I was blown away by the elegance and subtleness of the 2021 Charme, I wine I know quite well and have followed from the first vintage (I think even a non-commercial release in the beginning). It's a red wine produced in Vale Mendiz where they make the Port, a mixture of vineyards from the village. It had a very short maceration of the full clusters in lagar, was pressed to barrels where it finished fermenting and was put through malolactic, was kept in barrel for nine months and then was transferred to the cellar in Quinta de Napoles. It has a very elegant and perfumed style, with no oak whatsoever. It's floral, with notes of red berries and herbs and a medium-bodied palate with refined, elegant tannins and a long and supple finish with a spicy twist (from the barrels? some 15% to 20% new). This wine has been changing through the years, and this has to be the most elegant version of it, following the path of the 2018. It has a moderate 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.56 and 5.7 grams of acidity. 9,700 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2023. Superb!

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2021 Coche has to be one of the finest white wines from Portugal that I've tasted. It was produced with grapes grown at 600 meters in altitude, from very old vineyards with the right field blend with a majority of Rabigato but also other local varieties. It has a fine and elegant reductive character with flinty notes, hints of smoke and dry herbs. This is sharp and super tasty, with an almost salty twist in the finish. It fermented and matured in French oak barrels (mostly 228-liter ones) for one year. It's serious, nuanced, a little austere and vertical, with a dry finish, a chalky sensation and very good persistence. It has 11.8% alcohol, a pH of 3.26 and 5.8 grams of acidity. I've drunk all the vintages of Coche since the first year (2010), and this is the finest to date. Bravo. 9,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2023.