Is this wine another act of god or was it the dream of the devil?
First at all, the huge amount of varietals is crazy; this wine is a cuvee of FOURTEEN; Eleven were native, they are 01/ Aragonez, 02/ Trincadeira, 03/ Alicante Bouschet, 04/ Alfrocheiro, 05/ Touriga Nacional, 06/ Tinta Caiada, 07/ Castelao Alfrocheiro, 08/ Cabernet Sauvignon, 09/ Carignan, 10/Grenache, 11/ Grand-Noir, 12/ Pinot noir, 13/ Moreto and 14/ Crato.
Secondly, the type of barrel oaks that this wine incubated in. Thirdly, the length of maturation; it took totally Fifteen months in Portuguese oak.
Year 2004 was the virgin vintage. Complex, mixture of jammy fruit, raisins, ripe wild berries, scents of Portuguese oak in the nose; very soft, fruity, good balance in the mouth; the raisins and jams in perfect harmony with the toast; a peculiar flavor that remains in the long, persistent finish, together with an excellent acidity.
Nice black, white & gold label design.
So far three vintages 2004, 2007 and 2011 were successfully made. They are absolutely a collectible item.
This wine would be great to enjoy it alone to experience its complexity or Stewed Pork meats (pork knuckles) served in a wine-based sauce with fried potatoes, Suckling pigs, bake duck rice, ribs and bake Chinese duck liver sausage.
The best time to serve this 2011; JM 14 is predicted to be starting from 2021. For sure the value of this wine would be more than twice of today's worth.
A small stock for 2007 & 2011 are still available. Do get one before they sold out again.
Horace Cheung, updated on 2020.02.19. First written in 2016.
