2006 Chryseia

60% Touriga Nacional, 40% Touriga Franca. Prats and Symington. 13 months in 400-litre new French oak. Deep crimson. Smells different from the 2004 and the 2009. Something unusual, a bit like tamarind at first or meat extract, though with aeration there's more spice and dark frut and vaguely floral. That same flavour on the palate. I find it more confusing than complex. (JH)

Winery owned by Prats & Symington. 2006 was a hail affected vintage for this patch of the Douro, although this premium-style red has emerged intact. There is subtle perfume, a long finish with charming and very well-defined cherry and redcurrant fruit with black pepper seasoning. As yet it seems quite young, although the tannic structure is absolutely ready to drink. It deserves a few years to develop, but nothing long-term. Good. (RH)

The 2006 Chryseia is a library wine, of course. It is revisited this issue for a checkup. It is a 60/40 blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca aged for ten months in new French oak. This year was around the time that I originally feared it might start to slide. It is drinking well now, although with some rhubarb and herbal nuances. It is aromatically a bit eccentric, and it has that bit of rhubarb at the end; but, it does fill out in the glass and takes on weight, improving more than I thought it could. It shows a bit of life, a little energy and power but not enough to make me suspect it is going to turn into anything more. It still demonstrated that it could show better after 30 to 45 minutes of air. With some air, it was much more interesting and showed better focus. It was also much better when paired with food, at which point its eccentricities were no longer annoying and its good features stood out. It is always more impressive for the structure than the fruit. Drink up, no matter how long it theoretically lasts, because I doubt this will get much better. Apr 2017, www.robertparker.com