Herdade de Cadouços

Herdade de Cadouços by PETER EDWARDS

We arrived at Cadouços later than expected and darkness had fallen. Nevertheless, our light-hearted host was warm in his welcome and charming. He led us into the cellar, piled high with oak barrels of maturing wine. A table had been set with a white cloth, tasting glasses and plate of local charcuterie and we sat down to the strains of Gregorian chant echoing down from lofty heights somewhere above.

This is a winery deeply committed to organic and environmentally-friendly practice and production, and I loved the mediaeval chanting of the monks, which reminded me of my school days, for us choirboys often sang High Mass in Gregorian chant. However, I think we were all slightly bemused to learn that the wines were matured to this music playing 24/7, 365 days a year! Though I have occasionally given my tomatoes a friendly rub on the leaves and hummed encouragingly to my house plants, I can't help feeling perplexed about the wines enduring relentless chanting day and night for months on end!  Sadly, as far as I am concerned, the wines had not benefited at all.

Cadouços Harmony - What can I say? Dark, very dark, with hardly any detectable aroma or fruit and no complexity. It was very tannic and oaky and tasting it with Portuguese black pudding did nothing to redeem it. Though the tannins were not rough and rustic they were too dominant. There was however, a central Balsamic note which some people might discover with joy. I did at first acquaintance, but then found it had an element that was faintly disagreeable. 

The Cadouços Natur 2007. Blend of Aragonez, Touriga Nacional, and Merlot. 14%

An inky black wine which, when held up to an electric light bulb, remained as black as squid ink; no ray  of light penetrated it except for a tiny glowing ring of dark red at the rim. In its subterranean depths there was some black fruit and gritty plum stone flavour, along with a pronounced smooth but very oaky tannin. But, honestly, really not a wine I could enjoy. In my opinion, and I could well be wrong, this wine seemed over-extracted and over-oaked..

Yes We Can Reserve 2007 Touriga Nacional/Syrah 14.5%

Another massive dark red. But with a good aroma of red berries, and, on the palate, delightfully concentrated raspberry-ish fruit, plenty of smooth tannins, complex and well structured but with the  elegance of balancing acidity, and a long refreshing finish with a chocolate after-taste. I liked this wine very much. Yes, you certainly can, Cadouços!

Afterwards, we were presented with four bottles of the red wines we had tasted, and I was pleased to see that there was a bottle of Yes We Can Reserve in amongst them. 

I repeated the tasting after I got home, yes, with Cumbrian black pudding, but, even without the benefit of Gregorian chant, the wines remained in my black books and  my verdict was much the same. Only the Yes We Can Reserve was enjoyable and delicious. Oh Yes! Although I had a wonderful flight back from Lisbon, thanks to a surprise courtesy upgrade to Cabin Class, my checked in baggage got lost in Amsterdam and it was three days before my bag was delivered to my home with just one broken bottle inside ….. and it was obviously not the Yes We Can Reserve... what can I say, or sing, except  'Gloria in Excelsis.'