tasted: Vale de Clara (Portugal) Douro 2001

Vale de Clara (Portugal) Douro 2001
Quinta de la Rosa is a highly-regarded Port house in the Douro Valley, who were amongst the earliest pioneers producing table wines from Douro-grown grapes. This bottle is a prime example of the earthy, nicely rustic and chewy style that these reds can possess - an old-fashioned style in a way, but brilliant wines, cut from a

very different cloth from so many lookalike wines. It has a rich, earthy red colour and a powerful vinous nose, with plenty of spice, bramble and leathery character, and lovely hints of sweet-fruited depth. On the palate it is rich and mouthfilling, with more of that robust, hearty fruit and plenty of structured acid and tannin underpinning. Lovely stuff.
£5.99 Booths and Booths online, who are offering wine-pages visitors Ł15 off their first order currently.