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+--- Thread: Conde De Valdemar thoughts (/thread-10298.html)
- brappy - 02-04-2009
Very interesting tasting this afternoon. Wines showed sooooo much better than I would have thought. All of the wines are Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva.
'68 - Very light in color with even lighter bricking on the edge. Nose of sweet cherries. Palate showed much of the same. Some oxidation (expected). Still very much in its window; but just past it's ultimate prime. Showed very well.
'70 - Much darker in color than the '68 with just slight bricking on the edge. Beautiful red fruit on the nose appearing a bit darker. Palate shows this as well. Also a touch of earth, dried earth. Much more complexity than the '68. This wine seems to be in it's window but not quite yet at the top of it's game. This wine is near perfection and will soon show everything it has.
'73 - Same color as the '70. Just a touch further in it's evolution than the '70; not as far along as the '68. Beautiful bright red fruit, maybe a touch of mint/menthol - Awesome balance. Great acidity. Exactly in it's window.
'75 - Touch of barnyard bret, but not too much. Red fruit on the nose; the palate adds some melon intertwined with the red fruit and a touch of fennel seed. Much more power. Outstanding.
'78 - This seems to be in the same spot of evolution as the '73. There is a touch more oxidation under that gorgeous red fruit. And what a mouthful. Unbelievable acidity. This wine couldn't have better balance.
'81 - Great color. Somewhat subdued fruit on the nose. Good, sweet fruit on the palate with a touch of caramel and coffee. Great acidity; solid wine.
'82 - Much more showing here. Similar fruit but full throttle. There is a bit of petrol and a whiff of minerals. Fruit is very dark. Is not even close to being it's prime. Extreme complexity. Very well made.
'85 - Fresh red fruit accented w/ black crushed pepper. Some opulence. Wow. Sweet fruit, bright acidity. This is beautiful. Drink this up now; its not possible for this to get better.
'87 - Incredibly youthful red fruit and dust. Some oxidation. Not as powerful as the '85. Should be good for another 10 years.
'89 - This nose just jumps out at you. Still needs several years to sweeten up. Outstanding.
'94 - Beautiful. Seems like a different wine. Much darker fruit but still wrapped with lighter red fruit. The smallest amount of barnyard bret. A small bit of opulence.
'95 - Extremely similar to the '94 but with just more of everything. Especially opulence.
This tasting was an eye opener. As much as I've enjoyed Conde de Valdemar in the past, I simply didn't buy any for cellaring. I realize now I should have been buying this relative QPR for years.
Mark
- TheEngineer - 02-04-2009
What a great tasting Brap! I was tasting each one of the wines with you when I was reading that! It's always fun when you can taste a vertical like that and I agree with the QPR.
- brappy - 02-05-2009
Thanks Eng..... Definitely a great day!