It is Wine Blogging Wednesday time again, and this month the fine folks at Catavino have been tasked with picking the theme. They chose Portuguese table wines, and once I read their choice, I immediately knew what I'd be drinking: Cortes de Cima 2001. It has a loyal following at the store where I work, and my husband had raved about it as well. He tasted it close to a year ago, and I've been eager to try it myself. The wine is a blend of 44% Syrah, 26% Aragonez (Tempranillo), 17% Trincadeira, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Touriga Nacional from Portugal's Alentejano region.

Information on the wine from the vineyard's web site:

Grown, produced and bottled at the family estate
Barrel ageing - 11 months
Bottled: November 2002
144.742 bottles (75 cl) produced

Vinification
Made exclusively from selected grapes hand picked at optimum maturity from our own vineyards. Fermented without stems under temperature control, frequent delestage, followed by extended skin maceration to enhance varietal fruit characters, and to provide tannin structure and balance. Aged for 11 months in American and French oak barrels, and then blended to give balanced varietal fruit and oak components. Bottled, unfined and filtered in November 2002.

Our winemaker's comments
Deep, dense, brick red in colour. Developing bouquet showing ripe berry fruits, spicy vanilla oak, and lifted volatility. Smooth, soft palate with good flavour intensity, showing sweet, rich, savoury fruit and well integrated oak. The palate is stylish, well balanced and persistent, with a long, lingering finish. The wine is a little more forward than previous vintages, and is ready to drink now and over the next 5 years.

The bouquet on this wine was slightly mineraly and earthy, but with a bit of berries coming through as well. It had flavors of boysenberry and blackberry wrapped around the oak, and a bit of chocolate at the end. It was interesting tasting this with my husband because it wasn't quite as lush as he remembered. While it's still enjoyable, I think the '01 might be past its prime, and you'd be better off seeking out the 2002 or 2004.

The wine scored a 90 from Wine Spectator and an 89 from Wine Enthusiast.

If you'd like to learn more about Cortes de Cima, you can visit www.cortesdecima.pt