Friday, October 4, 2013

Quinta do Encontro 2004 Preto Branco (Spain)

After the relative freshness of the first bottle I opened this evening (2009 Between the Line Cabernet Franc) this was almost a shocker, until I looked at the year - somewhere along the line I did not look at the year of this wine and I thought 'man it is prematurely oxidized and really tired' ... but then when I realized it was some 9 years old it all made sense.  The nose was leathery and full of dried dark fruit along with a slightly smoky note to it.  On the palate there were dried cranberries, dried blackberries and some cassis, all mixing with that leatheryness found on the nose.  Plus there was a seam of earthiness running right down the center from first sip to last swallow.  The wine is a little tired and it's not going to get any better - but once you got passed it's short-comings (and realize its age) you'll come to the realization that it's not a bad wine at all ... plus it has its place at the table.


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