2004 Vinha da Ponte

The 2004 Vinha da Ponte is part of this issue's vertical. With some air, it pulls in its rather obvious oak, the initial impression, and develops some hints of maturity with an increasingly complex flavor medley on the finish. That said, on day one without question, the oak was there, lingering on the finish and obscuring the complexity. The vanilla tinge was the last thing tasted, giving this a bit of a Rioja feel to it. By day two, it was much better, but an hour or so of aeration saw some popping up a bit. The wine still seemed remarkably elegant at that point, the gracefully constructed mid-palate dominating the impression on day two. The pop, power and some harshness on the finish that showed up on day one disappeared on day two. In truth, with two hours of aeration, it was already getting there on day one as well. All that said, and oak issues aside, this did seem to leave a few questions unanswered at this stage of its life. Mostly youthful, it seems to have a long life ahead. Given my conservative tendencies in drinking windows, let's continue to take that in stages. It needs to develop a bit more gravitas in the cellar to justify the potential that I see and saw in it.