2020 The Messenger Touriga Nacional, Douro, Portugal
Tasting Notes
Portugal’s beloved Touriga Nacional has long been a staple in the country’s famed vintage ports with references to its cultivation in Douro dating back to the 17th century. As a dry red wine, the variety is also fabulous. Often overlooked by grape growers because it is hard to grow, recent improvements to farming and vine selection have thankfully allowed for the varietal’s resurgence as a dry red wine. This wine has stunning dark berry flavors. It is deep and dark but smooth and gentle at the same time. Think full-bodied and light on its feet. Strong and nimble. Delicious now and for at least another 5 years, maybe more.
The Story
As a child growing up in Australia, Rob would accompany his dad to one of the local wineries where they would ‘go around the back’ and find a designated barrel of Port wine with a unique chalk mark. Once the barrel was identified they siphoned the Port into their 5-gallon container. Doing this required sticking a hose in the barrel, sucking on it until the Port started flowing, and then jamming the hose into the container without drinking or spilling too much. Rob figures his first taste of Port was probably around the age of 10, courtesy of
this siphoning hose. Once the container was filled, they would hand some cash to the cellar guy and return home to carefully decant the Port into a selection of small barrels. To this day, Rob’s 94-year-old father still keeps a small barrel of Port at the ready to share with friends.
Rob’s fascination with Port grew from these early experiences and evolved into a love of Portugal’s famed Vintage Ports and eventually triggered a visit to Porto. Now, he was expecting the Ports to be glorious - and they were. The big surprise was how good the dry table wines were. Screamingly good white and red wines that were also very reasonably priced.
Kat and Rob discovered a small family farm growing grapes and making wine in both the Douro region near Porto and the Vinho Verde region further north. Standing out among their varied offerings were the Alvarinho (Albariño) and Touriga Nacional. The family has an unusual arrangement with another customer that prohibits us from using their name, which is a shame. However, the story of the Portuguese family and their wines took Rob back to his childhood and reminded him of the family his Dad would buy Port from. In every way, these wines are an expression of the land that grew them and the hands that have touched them.
It started 20 years ago with an opportunity to work for a craft brewer in Western Australia. Showing up in Australia with a degree from the University of California, a good work ethic and a “can do” spirit was the perfect combination of right place-right time. After three years down under, Kat moved back to the US, and her husband, Australian Rob McDonald quickly followed.
They founded Old Bridge Cellars and began importing the legendary Australian wines they both loved…d’Arenberg, Jasper Hill, Yarra Yaring, Leeuwin Estate. Along the way, Kat took a break and went to law school, they planted vineyards in both Australia and the Napa Valley and began making their own wines including the eponymous named Mak.
In 2008, they founded Art+Farm Wine in Napa. Art+Farm is home to their single vineyard wines the girls in the vineyard, their outrageous blends-The Messenger and their true varietals: Circadia.
Kat and Rob live in Napa with their two children and an odd looking creature that is supposed to be a dog. Kat is a little obsessed with her heritage breed chickens and the eggs they lay and also her bees. Rob is obsessed with compost and growing the perfect tomato. Both are huge proponents of dry farming and see water as the single biggest factor in the future of agriculture.
Available States
CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, WA, WI
Last week I received the email from Alice telling me that I had been selected as a Lab Rat for a wine that was launching tonight. We made sure to pick it up from our UPS Depot the day that it arrived. It was the 2020 The Messenger Touriga Nacional from Portugal. I was intrigued. I know that this varietal is often used in port, but it is not a wine that we drink frequently on its own.
ddeuddeg and I decided to pair it with marinated and grilled flank steak, sautéed Swiss Chard and Lacinato Kale with Roasted Pine Nuts that were finished with Lavender Vinegar and White Truffle Oil, and a mélange of thinly sliced Egyptian onions, radishes, Hakurei turnips, and red beets sautéed in EVOO, with a bit of red wine added to help cook the veggies, and finished with some Garlic Oil and tarragon.
We remembered to taste the wine BEFORE I started cooking in the house—this is always a struggle to remember! This wine is a beautiful ruby in color. Upon first sniff, I got a lot of earthiness. No doubt, this is a reflection of the terroir in Portugal where these grapes were grown. Upon first taste, I got explosive sweet cherries and other red berries. The wine seemed to be sweet, but that is purely due to the sugars in the fruit. This is a full-bodied wine with what I would say has a medium-lasting finish.
We decided to put a cooler jacket on the bottle for the 15-20 minutes that we were cooking and throughout most of dinner because the ambient house temperature was about 72 degrees. This wine needed to have just a slight chill to it. It really is an extremely dry red wine which paired beautifully with our veggies and perfectly with the flank steak! At this price, this wine is a steal! Run, don’t walk to get your stash!
I love the effort you put into dinner for my wine, sounds delicious. Agree completely with getting the temp down - in summer I give all reds a chill because room temp is too warm. Kale is an interesting plant as it contains tannin of its own and I find sometimes brings out the tannin in the wine. Brilliant summary, thanks.
@ArtFarmWine Thank you so much for your kind words. Can you please explain your process for making your wine from grapes from Portugal? I’m fairly certain that you do not ship them to Napa with stems, etc.!
@bahwm good question, there are basically 2 options. In this case we finished the winemaking process in Portugal and brought wine to Napa to be bottled. In the case of the Aussie Cab that you may have seen on offer, we bottle the wine in Aus. It is less expensive to ship the wine in bulk but I worry less if it’s in bottle
A labrat bottle is always a special treat, and this was no different. We had previously enjoyed the Messenger Albariño, so we looked forward to seeing how the Touriga Nacional matched up in quality. With plenty of time to plan, we decided on a grilled flank steak marinated in soy sauce, EVOO, honey, and rosemary, accompanied by sautéed sliced root veggies with diced onion, and sautéed Swiss chard and Lacinato kale (a couple of bahwm’s gems). We always make sure to sample the wine before getting into tasting any of the food, so we pulled the cork and poured a couple of sample tastes. It’s a beautiful deep color, but I found the nose a bit subdued. I got hints of dark fruit, maybe blackberries. The first sip revealed gripping tannins and more dark fruits, dark cherries and plums. We also felt that the wine was a bit warmer than we liked, and put on the chill collar to take it down just a few degrees.
Throughout the meal, the wine continued to improve, with a little cooling and some air exposure. It’s really rich in fruit, so much so that the palate is almost fooled into thinking it’s sweet. Like the winemaker, my first exposure to this grape was in Port wines, but I’d read about it being fermented to dry. I’m happy to have had this opportunity to experience the result, as this was an absolutely sensational accompaniment to a great meal. I can’t believe WD is able to offer it at this price. It would be great with just about any summer BBQ with friends. Just don’t tell them the price you paid. They won’t believe you, anyway.
@ddeuddeg Well, hard to beat a ddeuddeg thumbs-up - actually, hard to beat any meal he is crafting for any occasion. As rpm would say, sell on cheese, buy on crackers. I guess I am buying on your menu.
Reverse Wine Snob offered this in March notes:
The 2020 The Messenger Touriga Nacional Douro 359 pours quite dark in the glass and opens with strong and enticing aromas of blackberry and a touch of spice. Floral notes also come out with some time. It’s an exciting start.
Taking a sip reveals a deep, dark and delicious full-bodied wine that is also highly quaffable, a rare combination! This is a juicy, fruity good time but it also has great depth on the rich dark fruit and soft, fine, silky smooth tannins plus nice touches of spice throughout.
It ends with a dry, very long, juicy and slightly grippy finish. It gets even better with air and was just as good on day 2. Delicioso!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2020 The Messenger Touriga Nacional from Portugal - $30 = 20.00%
I was fortunate to be a rat for this in January, however was unable to order a case at that time. I just placed my order for this offering. It’s good juice
@kls_in_MD@cduan already pulled me in for a split… we’ll have to work on our group legging via text and get better at our coordination! …. @zortapa already got me on a Swilly deal on the side LOL.
Wednesday morning: Sounds fine but I am not buying this, no space and just bought Granashista (?).
Thursday evening, these reviews, and $10 (free delivery)? I mean, I’m not an idiot.
2020 The Messenger Touriga Nacional, Douro, Portugal
Tasting Notes
The Story
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$225.00/Case for 12x 2020 The Messenger Touriga Nacional at Art + Farm Wine
About The Winery
Available States
CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, MA, MI, MN, MO, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, WA, WI
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jul 24 - Tuesday, Jul 25
2020 The Messenger Touriga Nacional
6 bottles for $74.99 $12.50/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $119.99 $10/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Last week I received the email from Alice telling me that I had been selected as a Lab Rat for a wine that was launching tonight. We made sure to pick it up from our UPS Depot the day that it arrived. It was the 2020 The Messenger Touriga Nacional from Portugal. I was intrigued. I know that this varietal is often used in port, but it is not a wine that we drink frequently on its own.
ddeuddeg and I decided to pair it with marinated and grilled flank steak, sautéed Swiss Chard and Lacinato Kale with Roasted Pine Nuts that were finished with Lavender Vinegar and White Truffle Oil, and a mélange of thinly sliced Egyptian onions, radishes, Hakurei turnips, and red beets sautéed in EVOO, with a bit of red wine added to help cook the veggies, and finished with some Garlic Oil and tarragon.
We remembered to taste the wine BEFORE I started cooking in the house—this is always a struggle to remember! This wine is a beautiful ruby in color. Upon first sniff, I got a lot of earthiness. No doubt, this is a reflection of the terroir in Portugal where these grapes were grown. Upon first taste, I got explosive sweet cherries and other red berries. The wine seemed to be sweet, but that is purely due to the sugars in the fruit. This is a full-bodied wine with what I would say has a medium-lasting finish.
We decided to put a cooler jacket on the bottle for the 15-20 minutes that we were cooking and throughout most of dinner because the ambient house temperature was about 72 degrees. This wine needed to have just a slight chill to it. It really is an extremely dry red wine which paired beautifully with our veggies and perfectly with the flank steak! At this price, this wine is a steal! Run, don’t walk to get your stash!
@bahwm
I love the effort you put into dinner for my wine, sounds delicious. Agree completely with getting the temp down - in summer I give all reds a chill because room temp is too warm. Kale is an interesting plant as it contains tannin of its own and I find sometimes brings out the tannin in the wine. Brilliant summary, thanks.
@ArtFarmWine Thank you so much for your kind words. Can you please explain your process for making your wine from grapes from Portugal? I’m fairly certain that you do not ship them to Napa with stems, etc.!
@bahwm good question, there are basically 2 options. In this case we finished the winemaking process in Portugal and brought wine to Napa to be bottled. In the case of the Aussie Cab that you may have seen on offer, we bottle the wine in Aus. It is less expensive to ship the wine in bulk but I worry less if it’s in bottle
@ArtFarmWine Thank you for your info and participation!
Previous offer TNs & discussion
A labrat bottle is always a special treat, and this was no different. We had previously enjoyed the Messenger Albariño, so we looked forward to seeing how the Touriga Nacional matched up in quality. With plenty of time to plan, we decided on a grilled flank steak marinated in soy sauce, EVOO, honey, and rosemary, accompanied by sautéed sliced root veggies with diced onion, and sautéed Swiss chard and Lacinato kale (a couple of bahwm’s gems). We always make sure to sample the wine before getting into tasting any of the food, so we pulled the cork and poured a couple of sample tastes. It’s a beautiful deep color, but I found the nose a bit subdued. I got hints of dark fruit, maybe blackberries. The first sip revealed gripping tannins and more dark fruits, dark cherries and plums. We also felt that the wine was a bit warmer than we liked, and put on the chill collar to take it down just a few degrees.
Throughout the meal, the wine continued to improve, with a little cooling and some air exposure. It’s really rich in fruit, so much so that the palate is almost fooled into thinking it’s sweet. Like the winemaker, my first exposure to this grape was in Port wines, but I’d read about it being fermented to dry. I’m happy to have had this opportunity to experience the result, as this was an absolutely sensational accompaniment to a great meal. I can’t believe WD is able to offer it at this price. It would be great with just about any summer BBQ with friends. Just don’t tell them the price you paid. They won’t believe you, anyway.
@ddeuddeg Well, hard to beat a ddeuddeg thumbs-up - actually, hard to beat any meal he is crafting for any occasion. As rpm would say, sell on cheese, buy on crackers. I guess I am buying on your menu.
@woopdedoo Recipe specifics available upon request.
Reverse Wine Snob offered this in March notes:
The 2020 The Messenger Touriga Nacional Douro 359 pours quite dark in the glass and opens with strong and enticing aromas of blackberry and a touch of spice. Floral notes also come out with some time. It’s an exciting start.
Taking a sip reveals a deep, dark and delicious full-bodied wine that is also highly quaffable, a rare combination! This is a juicy, fruity good time but it also has great depth on the rich dark fruit and soft, fine, silky smooth tannins plus nice touches of spice throughout.
It ends with a dry, very long, juicy and slightly grippy finish. It gets even better with air and was just as good on day 2. Delicioso!
fwiw
@kaolis rws also notes 4 g/l RS and neutral oak
@kaolis One of these times, we’ll have to save enough to understand what it means when you say “just as good on day 2.”
@ddeuddeg @kaolis open 2 bottles, problem solved
@ArtFarmWine @ddeuddeg @kaolis Love it!
@ArtFarmWine In order to do that, I’d need at least 2 bottles. I think you’re trying to trick me into placing an order. Well, it worked.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2020 The Messenger Touriga Nacional from Portugal - $30 = 20.00%
Talked us into it!
/giphy photogenic-ugly-dragon
I want this but no shipment to MD!
@eastcoastmary No friends in D.C.?
@ddeuddeg sadly, no.
@ddeuddeg @eastcoastmary we will have to work on that! @cduan is my DC casemate and vice versa when it does not ship to DC and MD is an option.
/giphy novelty-welcoming-fudge
I love Porto wines, so when this offer came out earlier, I jumped on getting a case. It has to be the best QPR ever!
I’m running to get another!!
@Kraxberger thank you - great summer red if chilled too
Sounds like something I might not want to miss out on.
/giphy uncanny-cunning-pocket
I was fortunate to be a rat for this in January, however was unable to order a case at that time. I just placed my order for this offering. It’s good juice
@jaybird thanks, enjoy!
@bunnymasseusse, @zortapa anybody setting up a wootleg operation for us MD folks? If so, count me IN for 2 to 6
@kls_in_MD @cduan already pulled me in for a split… we’ll have to work on our group legging via text and get better at our coordination! …. @zortapa already got me on a Swilly deal on the side LOL.
Wednesday morning: Sounds fine but I am not buying this, no space and just bought Granashista (?).
Thursday evening, these reviews, and $10 (free delivery)? I mean, I’m not an idiot.
Cases sold out, so in for partial before the deadline!
/giphy tiresome-particular-oyster
Found some good food recommendations for this wine
https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/exploring-touriga-nacional-wine/