2014 VINTAGE - MEMBER REVIEWS
"Too heavy, really didn't want to have more than one glass at a time. Used the rest in cooking."
Dr Kate Macdonald (13-Dec-2020)
"This is a delight from start to finish: first the dark glinting depths as it's poured from decanter to glass; then rich red fruit bouquet; packed with opulent fruit on the palate with just enough acid to balance, and only a hint of smooth tannins. It lingers long on the palate and even longer in the memory. "
Mr Michael J Webber (20-Nov-2020)
"This was very disappointing, not like port at all. Very sharp and musty."
Mr Nicholas A Coleridge (20-Nov-2020)
"A very strong favoured Douro. Maybe a little too intense for me. Good for sharing in cold weather days. "
Mr Andre Mota (01-Oct-2020)
"I found this a very pleasant wine which seemed typical of the style (I don't claim to be an expert), but frankly not particularly exciting. I thought it rather overpriced. I think the advice to allow to breathe well is good: it certainly improved my bottle!"
Mr Mark O'Sullivan (01-Sep-2020)
"Maybe a few more months since Mr Goncalves's review has made it more drinkable. It certainly has excellent fruit, and did not strike me as exceptionally tannic. It would no doubt become more subtle with more ageing but is enjoyable now, particularly if left to breathe for an hour or two after opening (the Society's advice to decant seems wise, especially as there is appreciable lees); sweetish, almost a port flavour. Finish long but not perhaps as good as the attack."
Dr Christopher Currie (27-Jun-2020)
"Good quality fruit however this wine needs at least another 5 years in bottle to smooth out the big tannins. Buy now and cellar it, good value. 3 stars as it’s not ready to drink ."
Mr Rafael Goncalves (19-Oct-2019)
2013 VINTAGE - MEMBER REVIEWS
"Alluring nose, expansive body with dark fruits and proper tannins. Not the finest drink I've had, but not unremarkable and very good for what it costs. 3.5+, I'd say."
Mr Nandhan Maniratnam (28-Sep-2017)
"I was rather disappointed with this initially, as it paled beside the Meandro de Vale Meao of the same vintage, admittedly approximately twice the price if I recall correctly, and which I had recently enjoyed twice in Porto recently. Less tannic and somehow rather sweet. However a day after opening the bottle things were much more promising. Now glad I included a few bottles in a mixed case to age in Reserves."
Mr Mark R Hudson (11-Jun-2017)
"Good depth of flavour and balance. Deep colour but not over extracted / ripe. Dark berries compote flavours with some oak and good acidity."
Mr Rafael Goncalves (18-Feb-2017)
"Lush and full with plum and muted tannins"
Mr Duraiswamy S Rajan (27-Oct-2016)
2013 VINTAGE - PRESS REVIEWS
Chase Magazine (2nd Oct 2017)
"Excellent wine that will improve as it ages, and is
best decanted as it is still relatively young. - David Clay"
2012 VINTAGE - MEMBER REVIEWS
"A big beast of a wine. Very well made, smooth dark fruity tight structure, a touch velvety, ripe blackcurrants and green peppers. Despite what the "real" wine critics tell us, its a difficult wine to enjoy unless you're very patient. I've got a history in them and I've learnt to open them at least 6hrs before. then you're going to enjoy a very special wine. Selling this as Drink Now is a joke. It took 5hrs in a decanter, aerating it, decanting bottle to decanter, and finally it came out from the Dark ages into a sophisticated Bordeaux like solid red wine. Then i can thoroughly recommend it. With patience you get a fantastic wine for the price."
Mr James Brown (01-Mar-2016)
2012 VINTAGE - PRESS REVIEWS
Sunday Express (6th Aug 2016)
"Made by leading Douro
producer Vale do Meão, this is a beautifully expressive wine with floral black
cherry, violet and blackberry aromas to accompany very fresh black fruits on
the palate. It’s a fine wine that will age well. - Jamie Goode"
Decanter (30th Sep 2015)
"Foot-trodden in
granite lagares, fine briary nose. - Stephen Spurrier"
Decanter (26th Aug 2015)
"Made by the esteemed
Quinta do Vale Meão, this is a classic Douro field blend, with all the grapes
foot-trodden in granite lagares. It's packed with bright flavours of ripe red
cherries and spice, with the wonderful perfume heightening the wine's sense of freshness.
Very stylish. - Christelle Guibert"
2011 VINTAGE - MEMBER REVIEWS
"Rich, complex and elegant. Well worth the cost."
Mr Jeff Garner (22-Jul-2015)
"This is a quality wine which ever way you approach it, if a tad young and closed at this stage of the proceedings; drinking window given as 2020, so will improve. Lots of soft red fruit with a long after taste. Suggest decant before drinking and it opens up with a steak really well. The full price of £13.50pb smarts a bit, but it's about right. A wine made with great care and attention. Add it to your next mixed case, it will stand out!"
Mr Terence Eastham (26-Mar-2015)
"I have to confess to being rather underwhelmed. Perhaps I expected too much, having read all the press. I let it breathe for a couple of hours to open it up but found it a rather bland experience - certainly nothing special. Simply didn't live up to its billing - nor its price. I've had far better from the Society for almost half the price."
Mr Philip Todd (31-Jan-2015)
"Shame about Mr Smale wifes tax bill. I agree with him about this Druro it really is very good i am buying a case its to good to miss."
Mr Lawrence Marshom (28-Jan-2015)
"This is delicious. It is exactly as The Wine Society's describes - "fragrant, elegant and complex". It is a serious wine, which while delightful now, will certainly continue to improve with further cellaring. I purchased one bottle to try, and would be immediately buying a full case were it not for my wife's tax bill arriving yesterday...
"
Mr Will Smale (23-Jan-2015)
2011 VINTAGE - PRESS REVIEWS
Decanter (27th May 2015)
"Made at Quinta do
Vale Meão, this wine is foot trodden in the traditional granite lagares used
for Port. The nose is rich and luscious with ripe blackberries and sweet spice.
The tannins are velvety, backed by bright black fruit and a lovely freshness and
structure that will see it age well for another five years. - Weekday Wines"
The Independent on Sunday (31st May 2015)
"From a
long-established Douro estate, this red is made with traditional port grapes,
its quality underlined by 2011 being declared a vintage port year. Full-bodied,
deceptively elegant and complex with red fruits and a whisper of oak. A pork,
chorizo and olive casserole or hard cheeses would be a good match. - Terry Kirby"
Sheffield Profile (1st May 2015)
"A red wine of
contrasts, with a fragrant perfume on the nose, then bitter chocolates, cherries
and dark fruit followed by a long, peppery finish. A rare wine in that the
grapes have been foot-trodden in granite lagares before ageing in oak barrels. - Richard Marsden"
The Times (21st Mar 2015)
"Tuck into the latest Exhibition red, a chewy,
bramble-and-sloe-stashed cracker, foot trodden at a historic estate in the
savagely beautiful upper Douro and tailor made for a juicy steak. - Jane MacQuitty"
wineanorak.com (3rd Mar 2015)
"From Quinta do Vale
Meao, foot trodden and aged in French oak. Fresh black cherry fruit nose with
some stony notes. Sweetly fruited palate with supple black fruits and some
spiciness, as well as nice structure and acidity. Supple, interesting and
drinkable. 91/100 - Jamie Goode"
York Press (31st Jan 2015)
"The Wine Society has
just released [this], which is made by Quinta do Vale Meão. It’s not the
cheapest... but it is rich and really rather good. Made from
traditional port grape varieties, it is smooth, long, complex and structured:
touting flavours of Morello cherry, dark chocolate and spice. - Mike Tipping"