1981 Barca Velha

The 1981 BARCA VELHA (CASA FERREIRINHA) was simply lovely, smooth, harmonious and fresh, a bit mute at the start, but eventually becoming far more interesting, supple and seamless. This is a wine that has gone as far as it is likely to go, but it won’t fall off the table in the near future. Drink now-2014. This estate has long since been acquired by Sogrape (and is in more recent incarnations listed under Sogrape). Its Barca Velha was Portugal’s famed cult wines—and as these wines show, they hold well. I was fortunate to have these at a dinner tasting featuring old Portuguese stars. I normally don’t publish reviews here from such, but this is a hard-to-replicate tasting and worth mentioning for the insight it provided into Portugal’s history. The price, however, can be quite hideous on these older bottles, so take these as reference points rather than a recommendation to go out searching for them. If you don’t have them cellared, they aren’t so easy to come by anyway. Importer: Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, Ca.; (415) 931-1725.