Luis Duarte Wines, Alentejo Region

• 94 Rapariga da Quinta Red Reserva 2009  Cellar Selection

• 94 Rubrica Red 2009 Cellar Selection

• 92 Rapariga da Quinta White 2009  Best Buy & Ranked 30th in the Top 100 Best Buys for 2011
• 91 Rapariga da Quinta Red 2009

Quinta do Quetzal, Alentejo Region

• 93 Quinta do Quetzal Reserva Red 2008  Cellar Selection
• 91 Quinta do Quetzal White Reserva 2009
• 90 Quinta do Quetzal Guadalupe Selection Red 2008
• 88 Quinta do Quetzal Guadalupe White 2010
• 88 Quinta do Quetzal Guadalupe Red  2009

João Brito e Cunha, Douro Region

• 90 Azeo White 2010
• 88 Quinta de São José Red 2009

Monte Cascas, Douro Region

• 88 Monte Cascas Red Douro 2009

Quinta de Sant’Ana, Regional Lisbon

• 89 Quinta de Sant’Ana Red 2009
• 88 Quinta de Sant’Ana Fernão Pires White 2010
• 86 Quinta de Sant’Ana Rosé 2010

Vinha Paz, Dão Region

• 94 Vinha Paz Reserva Red 2008 Cellar Selection
• 91 Vinha Paz Red 2009

Álvaro Castro, Dão Region

• 95 Alvaro Castro Pape Red 2007  Cellar Selection
• 94 Alvaro Castro Quinta da Pellada Red Reserva 2006  Cellar Selection
• 91 Alvaro Castro Dão Red Reserva 2008
• 90 Alvaro Castro Dão White Reserva 2010
• 91 Alvaro Castro Dão Red 2008 Editor’s Choice
• 89 Alvaro Castro Dão White 2010

Filipa Pato, Bairrada Region

• 91 Filipa Pato Nossa Calcário Red 2009
• 90 FP Red 2009
• 87 FP White 2010

Ataide Semedo, Bairrada Region

• 91 Ataide Semedo Reserva Red 2009

Solar de Pinheiro, Vinho Verde Region

• 85 Solar de Pinheiro White Vinho Verde 2010
• 89 Solar de Pinheiro Avesso Vinho Verde 2010
• 87 Solar de Pinheiro Azal Vinho Verde 2010

The Pousada brand of Ports is produced by the Poças family who is one of the very few remaining 100% family owned and operated Port firms. The company was founded in 1918 by Manoel Domingues Poças Junior. Today, the 4th generation shoulders responsibilities in the oenology department, property and agricultural management, commercial direction and accounting. A real gem in the Port world, Poças has possibly won more major accolades than any other Port company in the last decade.  They have received fortified Winemaker of the Year in Portugal multiple times as well as at the International Wine Challenge in London.  Most recently in Canada, they were awarded the Best Producer from Portugal Award.

Quinta de Sant’Ana is a small family estate winery in the Regional Lisbon area relatively close to the sea.  The cooler climate enables them to produce stunning white wines such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdelho, Alvarinho, and Fernão Pires.  The red wines are produced from Touriga Nacional, Aragonês, and Merlot grapes. They have also recently launched a Pinot Noir which is showing beautifully.

Mark Squires has been covering Portugal for Robert Parker since 2006.  He is currently touring around Portugal visiting a handful of producers.  We were delighted to find out that he had requested to visit Quinta de Sant’Ana on this recent trip.  We had sent Mark a few of the wines from Quinta de Sant’Ana a few months ago to review and this is what he had to say:

Quinta de Sant’Ana Fernao Pires 2009, 88 POINTS

The 2009 FERNAO PIRES is fermented in vat. Clean, refreshing and relatively exhilarating, this elegant little wine dances on your tongue and delivers subtle flavors, lingering nicely. This is not, perhaps, something with the body to stand up to most big food dishes, but it is a pleasure to drink, if drunk young. I suspect it will not age terribly well, and age may in fact destroy the exuberant and refreshing qualities that are its best features, so drink it fresh. Not cheap for what you normally find for bottlings of this grape, it certainly delivers. There were 6,500 bottles produced. Drink now-2012.

Quinta de Sant’Ana Reserva 2006, 88 POINTS

The 2006 RESERVA is a blend of Touriga Nacional (60%) and Aragonez (40%), aged in French oak for 12 months. In a difficult vintage for most of Portugal, this shows quite well. It has more finesse than the regular ’08 Tinto reviewed this issue, yet it manages to have a little more depth as well, if not quite the same intensity of flavor. There is a slightly creamy, oaky note underlying the wine’s first attack. The styles are a little different, and I think this is the slightly better wine, but considering the big difference in price, bargain hunters won’t want to overlook the regular ’08 Tinto reviewed this issue. There were 5,500 bottles produced. Drink now-2016.

Quinta de Sant’Ana Tinto, 2008 87 POINTS

The 2008 TINTO is a blend predominantly of Touriga Nacional, with 17% Merlot and 5% Aragonez, 50% aged in French oak for 12 months. A little air did this a lot of good, as it began to harmonize its parts in a very attractive fashion, with the ripe tannins surrounding and supporting the fruit in perfect balance. Its oak became a bit more obvious as it aired out, but it also has touches of herbs and earth, along with some crispness. It is very fragrant and with air, seems bright and vivacious. With more aeration, it does thin pretty fast. There were 7,800 bottles produced. Drink now-2017.

Mark Squires with winery owner James Frost

Winemaker-António Moita Maçanita

Learn more about Quinta de Sant’Ana at – www.quintadesantana.com

We were happy to have our portfolio on showcase at both the New York and San Francisco Wines of Portugal tastings earlier this year.

The Wines of Portugal annual NYCGT has become a mainstay in the city’s wine event calendar and the 2011 event was a huge success thanks to the many participating producers, importers and friends of Portuguese wine.

See what some of the city’s top sommeliers and journalists have to say about Portuguese wines…

New York Grand Tasting

San Francisco Grand Tasting

Filipa Pato

Laurel Imports is proud to be working with Filipa Pato from the Bairrada region.  Filpa’s father Luis Pato is a well known and quite famous Portuguese Winemaker who continues to produce brilliant wines.  He has made the Baga grape from Bairrada famous worldwide.  Filipa is carving out her own path having a recent string of success.  Just in March of 2011, Filipa was awarded the prestigious “New Comer of the Year Award”, from the upscale German connoisseur magazine Der Feinschmecker, which is dedicated to international gastronomy, travel, food. An award won amongst 6 top winemakers nominated from around the world for having the most excellence and innovated character of wines presented. She has also had impressive mentions in Decanter Magazine and from Robert Parker.

Read more about Filpa Pato and her wines:

More about Filipa Pato and her wines

Jamie Goode Article about Filipa Pato

Joao Brito e Cunha and Filipa Pato are singled out in Decanter Magazine as two of the six Winemakers in the country to watch out for.  See the article below.

Read the Decanter Article May 2011

Filipa Pato

Joao Brito e Cunha

“The Beauty of Simplicity”   This is an award winning promotional video of the country.

From Algarve beaches to the breathtaking mountains of the north, Portugal is a land of contrasts. In between lie verdant floodplains, rolling plains and cork forests, wetland reserves… The east is dry and continental, the west milder, ocean-influenced, greener, especially the lush north west. Today, the country is linked and united as never before by fine new roads – just one sign of the prosperity that has spread across Portugal from the late ‘80s onwards. But tradition still lies at Portugal’s heart. Families spend time together, eat long meals together. Friends enjoy festivals, dancing, fado, café culture and eating out.

Food and wine are fundamental. The occasional modern restaurant apart, tradition rules: hearty portions of local dishes, meat, hams and sausages, game in season, magnificent fish and seafood, the beloved salt cod (bacalhau), copious bread, rice and potatoes, and a bottle of olive oil always at the ready. Dessert is obligatory –1001 delightful combinations of egg yolks with sugar: lots of sugar.

Portugal’s winemakers have been equally conservative in one respect – keeping faith with their grapes. And no wonder! Portugal’s varieties are unique, with thrillingly different flavors. Yet quality-wise there has been no resting on traditional laurels. A quarter-century of investment, education, open-mindedness and flair has meant explosive change. Choice has multiplied too. Alongside co-ops and large companies, myriad estates now make their own distinctive wines.

Terroir is so diverse. From north to south, from east to west, from mountain to maritime vineyards, hot and dry or cool and green.  In every style, from fizz to port, from crisp dry whites to elegant reds, in so many diverse ways, Portuguese wines are unique.

Updated Catalog of Portuguese Wines

See our updated catalog as we are now working with the wines of Alvaro Castro from the Dao region as well as Filipa Pato and Ataide Semedo from Bairrada.

Click here to view our Wine Enthusiast Magazine press

The Laurel Importers offering of Portuguese wines is a diverse group of wines from all of the major wine growing regions of the country.  We are excited about the positive press we have received and look forward to the continuing success of our portfolio.  Congratulations to Luis Duarte for his Rapariga Da Quinta Red Reserva 2008 for ranking 11th in the Top 100 wines of 2010.  The highest placed wine from Portugal for the year.

Top 50 List

http://www.thewinedetective.co.uk/blog/featured/revealed-tom-cannavans-50-great-portuguese-wines/

Congratulations to Quinta de Sant’Ana for making the list with their:

• Quinta de Sant’Ana Riesling 2009 (Lisboa)

Learn more about the wines from Quinta de Sant’Ana

Website: www.quintadesantana.com

Congratulations to Filipa Pato for making the list with her:

• Filipa Pato Nossa White 2009 (Beiras)

Learn more about the wines from Filipa Pato

Website: www.filipapato.net

A look at Alvaro Castro from the Dao region.

Alvaro Castro and daughter Maria

Helder Cunha and Frederico Gomes of Casca Wines have added Vinho Verde to their Cape Roca Fisherman line of wines.   A blend of 60% Loureiro and 40% Arinto with a crisp effervescence, this remarkably fresh wine offers a lovely bouquet and delivers a refreshing taste profile that makes it a summertime necessity.  Available now through Laurel Importers.

Fisherman Vinho Verde Fact Sheet

Learn more about Cape Roca wines