This is my fourth 1960s vintage Colares over the past year or so, the second 1965. Amazing how youthfully they have all shown. Really distinct wines, pre-Phylloxera vines for the rustic Ramisco grape. The Bordeaux of Portugal. And they show with such regality.
Barely bricking on the edges, the wine still carries a deep hue. Nose of dark fruits, licorice, tobacco and brine. Full bodied, chewy, deeply textured, but lifted by a powerful streak of blood orange citrus and some tart red fruits. Pungent, rich wet earth, leather, tobacco, sweat. Rusty iron nails. Long, chewy finish.
The wine is open but barely budges over several hours. I saved a 1/4 bottle for tonight out of curiosity. Really drinking beautifully right now.
Have any of the ones you’ve tried been from the 1969 vintage? I have a singleton of that one, and am trying to assess if I need to open it soon, or if I can keep letting it ride for a while longer.
I have read the opposite. I will note, however, that the Gomes domaine does not say, only identifying that it was founded in 1808 and that the region in general survived the louse that came later.
• Colares António Bernadino Paulo da Silva 1968
• Collares Visconde de Salreu 1955
• Colares Manuel José Colares 1952
• Collares Viuva José Gomes da Silva & Filhos 1934
★ As for whether or not the vines are own-rooted or not ★
“…No doubt many of you will have heard about Colares. This tiny Portuguese wine region is a bit of an oddity because its Ramisco vines are planted on their own roots.…Anyway, phylloxera can’t survive in very sandy soils, and the Ramisco vines of Colares are planted in sand so they don’t need grafting…”
Owlman – Just an FYI, in case you are interested in re-loading on these. The Garagiste offer e-mail today includes this wine. I was interested, so did a search of WB for notes, and found yours. Decided to bite on one…
1965 Colares
Colares is a sand-born European delight – a special “something” that I hope remains mostly unknown. The eccentric style of aged Colares is exactly what the wine world needs right now – wholly individual, uncompromising and without apology to anyone. Yet it remains inclusive without exclusivity – an interesting and often oxymoronic set of opposed character traits that make this all-too interesting wine a world-class experience.
For more on Colares, please see this excellent review by the finest wine writer in the nethersphere – Alder Yarrow (his book is worth owning as well)!
This pristine lot of 1965 Gomes has mint/original provenance – set to arrive the week of April 20th:
A few years back I arranged a tasting on Colares wines, having one wine per every decade from the 2010’s to 1930’s. What we noticed while drinking the wines from the youngest to the oldest that age-wise the wines seemed to develop decade by decade until the wines hit ~30 years of age (1980’s wine). From the ~40 years of onward (1970’s wine) the wines really didn’t seem to age at all. The older ones showed a bit more complexity, but age-wise they didn’t seem to age at all. Had we tasted the oldest 4 wines in a randomized order, it would’ve been impossible to tell which one was the youngest and which one was the oldest - when it comes to chronological sense of development, all the wines felt quite identical.
I’ve also had the 1969, although not in that particular tasting. Here’s my TN on the 1969 vintage.
Somewhat translucent dark cherry red color with a developed mahogany hue and pale red rim. Quite weirdly sappy and green-toned nose with aromas of fresh mint and birch leaves, some chrysanthemum, a little bit of sour cherry, light balsamic hints of sweet VA and a touch of earth. Distinctive and rather atypical nose for the style. The wine is ripe yet light-to-medium-bodied, crisp and lively on the palate with rather lean and crunchy flavors of tart red berries like lingonberries and redcurrants, some meaty umami, a little bit of sweet balsamic VA, light hints of juicy cranberries and a salty touch of beef jerky. The wine is impressively structured for its rather lithe size, thanks to the very high acidity and still moderately grippy tannins. The finish is long, juicy and somewhat tannic with bright flavors of tart lingonberries, meaty umami, some ripe cranberries, a little bit of salty soy sauce, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of bloody iron.
A very beautiful, complex and attractive example of aged Colares that is drinking wonderfully at the ripe age of 49 years. The nose is somewhat weird and very atypical for a Ramisco, but on the palate the wine is as classic as one can imagine with rather ripe yet also very lean and tangy red-toned fruit, bright mouthwatering acidity, firm tannic backbone and a touch of balsamic VA. Although the wine is starting to show some signs of age, it is obvious that the wine is still a mere baby and capable of developing even further from here. Drink now or keep for decades more. Highly recommended, delivers great value at 48€. (94 pts.)
