CASTELAO

Casa Santos Lima Quinta das Setencostas Alenquer 2006$15; 13.5% alcohol; cork; tasted 28 APR 09; 88 pointsCastelao, camerate, tinta miuda and preto-martinho are the varieties, and rare is the style. The extra half a shot of alcohol makes this a little less whippet; a little more kelpie in build than the sell-out 2005. The middle palate's got more muscle, less sinew. But there's also more savoury edge , so this is a more satisfactory wine all round. It reminds me of sangiovese, with that ever-so-faint whiff of chook feathers that hangs in the kitchen after a few of the fattest fowls have been plucked and gutted. But it's as clean as a squeak, and slippery and succulent, and it makes me really friggin hungry. It's supple and velvety and deserves a spicy coq au vin, plenty of onions. Vintage Cellars and 1st Choice

Casa Santos Lima Quinta das Setencostas Alenquer 2005

$15; 13% alcohol; cork; 86 points

This clean, modern cheapy from Portugal reminds me of the old Chateau Reynella Burgundies of the late ’sixties and early ’seventies. They were made from grenache, shiraz, mataro, and maybe a little carignan and cinsault, and they aged beautifully. This is a blend of castelao, camerate, tinta miuda and preto-martinho, and seems at the peak of its maturation. It’s harmonious, mellow and moody, with deep, soft aromas of cooking chocolate, black tea, leather and blackwood. It has a vegetal edge, like briar, or blackberry leaves, which makes the palate more savoury. Perfect mellow supping for tapas. Vintage Cellars or Liquorland.