Messias
Sociedade Agrícola e Comercial dos Vinhos Messias
Sociedade Agrícola e Comercial dos Vinhos Messias, S. A., was established in 1926 by Mr. Messias Baptista that got involved in the Port Wine business and production in 1934 but start shipping vintage port in 1950s. Today, the descendants are in the board of directors.
Quinta do Cachão is located in the Cima Corgo, the most rugged and inaccessible region in the entire Douro region. Although it did provide excellent conditions for the production of Port Wine, this landscape of steep slopes, which drop vertically into the river, did not begin to be used for the cultivation of wines until the early years of the 19th century. The major reason which prevented exporters from cultivating this region was the Cachão da Valeira, a huge rock which blocked the Douro River and obstructed all navigation, making it impossible to transport wines to Vila Nova de Gaia, at the mouth of the Douro River, and from there to ship them around the world. When the rock was finally demolished in 1807, the river became navigable, and slowly Port wine producers began to build new Estates in this region. This was the case of the Quinta do Cachão, which owes its name to famous Cachão da Valeira. Vineyards were first planted in 1845 by the Barão do Seixo, which sold the property years latter to Afonso Cabral. Once the plague had been overcome, the heirs of Afonso Cabral kept the Estate in the family, until 1956, when it was purchased by Messias in a very run down state and 1958 Messias purchased the neighbouring Quinta do Rei from Gonzales- Byass and began a complete renovation of the Quinta do Cachão.
Until 2009 the label Quinta do Cachão (or only Cachão) was used on some markets for the exact same wine as Messias. 2009 was the first time two different Vintages were produced in the same year, both Messias and Quinta do Cachão.
Messias Vintages: | 1955, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018 |
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Quinta do Cachao Vintages: | 1955, 1960, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1975 (?), 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2016 |
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Quinta do Rei Vintages: | 1960, 1982 |
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Burton Vintages: | 1982, 1984, 1997 |
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Prime's Vintages: | 1984, 1989, 1997, 2011 |
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Intermares Vintages: | 1982 |
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Tres Arcos Vintages: | 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984 |
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Tower's Vintages: | 1989, 1997 |
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Vintage Port tasting notes:
House | Messias | Vintage | 1947 |
Colour | Beautiful tawny in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
Bouquet | Dried fruit, boysenberry, French plums, melon and mushroom in the nose. | Score range | 15.90 - 15.90 |
Taste | Medium body. Mature and maybe a little old but elegant and balanced. Boysenberry and mushroom in taste. Quite long and attractive finish. | Average score | |
Last tasted | 18th April 2013 | Point this date | 15.90 |
Comment | At the Wine Society 18% Tasting in Malmö. This bottle belongs to Ander G. Åkesson’s Private Collection.
In 2013 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
House | Messias | Vintage | 1963 |
Colour | Light coloured tawny with an olive green rim. | Number of tastings | 1 |
Bouquet | Sweet burned candy, fudge and pharmacy in the nose. | Score range | 15.00 - 15.00 |
Taste | Medium body. Seemed a bit old and had some alcoholic taste, but easy to drink and in a way knit together anyhow. Nice finish. | Average score | |
Last tasted | 23rd November 2013 | Point this date | 15.00 |
Comment | At the Wine Society 18% Great Tasting in Malmö.
In 2013 this vintage took part in a Great Tasting in the Wine Society 18%. For points and ranking see Great Tastings. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
House | Messias | Vintage | 1980 |
Colour | Rather yellow mature in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
Bouquet | Burned sugar bouquet. | Score range | |
Taste | Light in body. Sweet. Easy to drink and like. Attractive with a good finish. | Average score | |
Last tasted | 25th January 1990 | Point this date | 14.75 |
Comment | At the Danish Port Wine Club est. 1981 tasting in Copenhagen.
| Tasters | SAI |
House | Messias | Vintage | 1982 |
Colour | Dark blue in colour with a yellow rim. | Number of tastings | 3 |
Bouquet | Cinnamon and fruit in the nose. | Score range | 15.25 - 15.25 |
Taste | Medium body and rather mature. Sweet. Balanced and fruity. Good finish and easy to drink. | Average score | |
Last tasted | 21st March 2019 | Point this date | 15.25 |
Comment | At the Wine Society 18% tasting in Malmö. 2 bottles have been defect (corked), including the last. Tasting notes from January 1990
| Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
House | Messias | Vintage | 1983 |
Colour | Yellow mature in colour. | Number of tastings | 3 |
Bouquet | Coffee and tea in the nose. | Score range | 14.50 - 15.00 |
Taste | Medium body. Sweet. Easy to like and drink. Nice finish. | Average score | 14.75 |
Last tasted | 18th January 1996 | Point this date | 14.50 |
Comment | At home with friends.
| Tasters | SAI, JB |
House | Messias | Vintage | 1985 |
Colour | Impressive dark colour with a yellow rim. | Number of tastings | 4 |
Bouquet | Pharmacy in the nose. | Score range | 14.50 - 15.75 |
Taste | Medium body. Rather mature and easy to like and drink. Quite attractive finish. | Average score | 15.13 |
Last tasted | 30th October 2003 | Point this date | 15.75 |
Comment | At the Danish Port Wine Club est. 1981 tasting in Copenhagen.
| Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
House | Messias | Vintage | 2003 |
Colour | Black in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
Bouquet | Fruity and dark cherry in the nose. | | |
Taste | Medium body. Immature and lots of tannin. Good and quite easy to like. Not a long runner. | | |
Last tasted | 12th November 2007 | Rating this date | Very good |
Comment | Ay the Port Wine Festival in Copenhagen.
Port so young we evaluate only as : Good – Very good- Impressive – Very Impressive | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
House | Messias | Vintage | 2005 |
Colour | Quite dark with a yellow edge. | Number of tastings | 2 |
Bouquet | Pharmacy, old hospital and some volatile acidity in the nose. | Score range | 13.90 - 13.90 |
Taste | Medium body. Quite unbalanced and alcoholic. Drinkable when we started but very soon the volatile acidity took over. The finish was quite short and not quite okay. Hard to give aggregable points. This bottle was defect even if it was agreeable in the beginning. | Average score | |
Last tasted | 5th October 2022 | Point this date | 13.90 |
Comment | Tasted at home in 9th International Online Vintage Tasting with our German Port Friends from World of Port. Both bottles were defect.
| Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
House | Messias | Vintage | 2007 |
Colour | Red in colour with a garnet rim | Number of tastings | 1 |
Bouquet | Ripe plum, chocolate, ripe dark berry | Score range | 16.00 - 16.00 |
Taste | Mature with quite firm tannins. Chocolate. Medium body. | Average score | |
Last tasted | 26th November 2021 | Point this date | 16.00 |
Comment | At the Port Wine Festival in Leverkusen, Germany.
| Tasters | JB |
House | Messias | Vintage | 2009 |
Colour | Still quite dark but with a yellow mature edge in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
Bouquet | Old grocery shop, cinnamon, almond and spiciness in the nose. | Score range | 16.00 - 16.00 |
Taste | Medium body. Rather mature and almost peaking but will be better. However, the port is very attractive and easy to drink already today. Balanced and very elegant indeed. Old grocery shop and cinnamon in taste with a lovely and interesting finish. Drink it and enjoy it! | Average score | |
Last tasted | 9th May 2018 | Point this date | 16.00 |
Comment | At the Big Fortified Tasting in London, Great Britain.
| Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
House | Messias | Vintage | 2011 |
Colour | Still rather dark but with a yellow mature in colour. | Number of tastings | 3 |
Bouquet | Roasted coffee, cacao and old grocery shop in the nose. Quite elegant bouquet. | Score range | 15.75 - 16.00 |
Taste | Medium body. Balanced with some soft and very elegant tannins. Quite opened and mature but will probably be better. The finish is quite attractive and so is the port but in a quite modern style. | Average score | 15.88 |
Last tasted | 4th November 2022 | Point this date | 15.90 |
Comment | Tasted at the Port Wine Festival, in Leverkusen, Germany.
| Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
House | Messias | Vintage | 2017 |
Colour | Still quite ruby but with a yellow mature edge in colour. | Number of tastings | 5 |
Bouquet | Cacao, chocolate, dates, vanilla, dark fruit and dark berry in the nose. | Score range | 15.90 - 15.90 |
Taste | Medium body. Of course immature but with some very soft and elegant tannins. Vanilla, dates, chocolate, dark berry and fruit in taste with a quite elegant and rather long finish. Promising, modern port which will be interesting to follow. | Average score | |
Last tasted | 31st March 2022 | Point this date | 15.90 |
Comment | Tasted at the Big Fortified Tasting in London, Great Britain
| Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
House | Messias | Vintage | 2018 |
Colour | Very dark ruby in colour. | Number of tastings | 3 |
Bouquet | Dark berries such as mulberry, dark cherry, black berry and mature and dried fruit in the nose. | | |
Taste | Medium body, Of course immature and will be better but is already drinkable and enjoyable today. Balanced and loaded with dark berries and mature fruit. The port is elegant with a lovely finish. | | |
Last tasted | 7th November 2022 | Rating this date | Very Good |
Comment | Tasted at the Port Wine Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark
Port so young we evaluate only as : Good – Very good- Impressive – Very Impressive | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
Old Colheita/Tawny tasting notes:
House | Messias | Colheita | 1966 |
Colour | Bright tawny in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
Bouquet | Burned sugar, caramel, hazelnuts and molasses in the nose. | Bottled | 2016 |
Taste | Medium body. Mature and with the colheita acidity. Balanced with integrated sweetness. Raisin, burned sugar and nuts in taste. Easy to drink and like with a nice crème caramel finish. | Score range | |
Last tasted | 9th May 2018 | Point this date | 16.50 |
Comment | At The Big Fortified Tasting in London, Great Britain.
| Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |