Quinta da Água Alta
Borges de Sousa family
Contract with Churchill.
This quinta has been in the same family for two centuries and purchased by the grandfather Sr. Antonio Borges de Sousa and the family is large vineyards owner in Douro. The quinta was marked already on Forrester’s map.
| Quinta da Agua Alta Vintages: | 1983, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2016 |
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| House | Quinta da Agua Alta Churchill | Vintage | 1983 |
| Colour | Pale ruby with bright yellow mature rim in colour. | Number of tastings | 3 |
| Bouquet | Toffee, cream candy, some chocolate minty and probably some herbs in the nose. | Score range | 15.25 - 16.50 |
| Taste | Medium body. Mature and peaking. Will not be better. Balanced and rather tasty with a rather long, sweet and quite attractive finish. | Average score | 15.88 |
| Last tasted | 7th March 2023 | Point this date | 15.25 |
| Comment | Tasted at home in 11th International Online Vintage Tasting with our German Port Friends from World of Port. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Quinta da Agua Alta Churchill | Vintage | 1987 |
| Colour | Still dark but yellow mature in colour. | Number of tastings | 2 |
| Bouquet | Crème caramel dark chocolate, cacao, coffee beans, some toffee and old grocery shop in the nose. | Score range | 15.50 - 15.90 |
| Taste | Medium body. Mature and peaking and will not be better than now. Balanced and tasty with crème caramel, chocolate, cacao and old grocery shop dominating in the mouth. Elegant with a rather long and quite attractive finish. Drink up and enjoy it now. | Average score | 15.70 |
| Last tasted | 11th April 2023 | Point this date | 15.90 |
| Comment | Tasted at home with the family. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Quinta da Agua Alta Churchill | Vintage | 1990 |
| Colour | Still very dark blue with a yellow rim. | Number of tastings | 3 |
| Bouquet | Complex flavour of coffee and old grocery shop in the nose. | Score range | 15.40 - 15.50 |
| Taste | Medium-body. Still soft tannins and not quite mature yet. Long good finish. Surprisingly good port! | Average score | 15.43 |
| Last tasted | 29th August 2007 | Point this date | 15.40 |
| Comment | At the Danish Port Wine Club est. 1981 tasting in Copenhagen, Denmark. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Quinta da Agua Alta Churchill | Vintage | 1992 |
| Colour | Still quite ruby in colour. | Number of tastings | 3 |
| Bouquet | Cacao and dark chocolate, some violets, liquorice, spring flowers, figs and other dried fruit in the nose. | Score range | 15.90 - 16.25 |
| Taste | Medium body and quite dry. Mature and peaking. Balanced with some nice acidity. Will probably not be much better. Dark berry and dried fruit but also some cacao and sweet liquorice in taste. Interesting and quite attractive finish. | Average score | 16.02 |
| Last tasted | 23rd November 2023 | Point this date | 16.25 |
| Comment | Tasted at the arrival dinner at the Port Wine Messe in Leverkusen, Germany. In 2018 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 | Quinta da Agua Alta Churchill | Vintage | 1995 |
| Colour | Yellow mature in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
| Bouquet | Not so good nose. Something wrong with this bottle. | Score range | |
| Taste | Medium-body, light and rather mature. Short finish. | Average score | |
| Last tasted | 29th August 2007 | Point this date | 13.90 |
| Comment | At the Danish Port Wine Club est. 1981 tasting in Copenhagen, Denmark. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Quinta da Agua Alta Churchill | Vintage | 1996 |
| Colour | Mature yellow in colour. | Number of tastings | 2 |
| Bouquet | The first hint was quite okay with liquorice and salmiak but a rapid smell of old hospital, pharmacy and volatile acidity came soon in the nose. | Score range | 14.00 - 14.00 |
| Taste | Medium bodied. Unbalanced with some volatile acidity but still drinkable and rather enjoyable with a quite nice finish. | Average score | |
| Last tasted | 12th July 2019 | Point this date | 14.00 |
| Comment | At home with the family. This bottle was not quite OK. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Quinta da Agua Alta Churchill | Vintage | 1998 |
| Colour | Yellow quite beautiful in colour. | Number of tastings | 3 |
| Bouquet | Liquorice, candy, some cacao and old grocery shop, some tobacco and also with some spiciness in the nose. | Score range | 15.50 - 16.25 |
| Taste | Medium body. Mature and peaking. Balanced, quite complex and very tasty with lots of liquorice, butterscotch and old grocery shop in the mouth and a quite attractive and elegant finish. Very easy to drink and enjoy today! | Average score | 15.88 |
| Last tasted | 21st May 2021 | Point this date | 15.50 |
| Comment | Tasted at home in Third International Online Vintage Tasting with our German Port Friends from World of Port. | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |
| House | Quinta da Agua Alta | Vintage | 2016 |
| Colour | Very dark, nearly black in colour. | Number of tastings | 1 |
| Bouquet | Ginger bread, Christmas spiciness and mulberry in the nose. | ||
| Taste | Medium body. Immature with nice tannins but balanced of course. Ginger bread and Christmas spiciness in taste. Very elegant port and easy to drink with a long tannic finish. Quite promising. | ||
| Last tasted | 30th November 2018 | Rating this date | Very Impressive |
| Comment | At the Port Wine Festival in Leverkusen, Germany Port so young we evaluate only as : Good – Very good- Impressive – Very Impressive | Tasters | SAI, JB, SS |