2015 Conceito Estate Branco
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Estate Branco is a field blend aged for ten months in used French oak barrels (second, third and fourth usage). This has been seen recently, but only in Portugal and only then with just a few weeks in the bottle. With a little more time to settle down--and a good comparison next to the Unico reviewed this issue--it's worth another look. It seems to lack a bit of the concentration and pure power that I saw in Porto as it has settled in, but the rest is pretty fine. Fresh, elegant, precise, perfectly balanced and pure (There's oak? What oak?), this has subtle intensity of fruit flavor. As this sits in the mouth, the combination of controlled fruit flavor and acidity gives it a juicy and delectable finish. In many respects, that is what makes this understated beauty special. The flavor just lingers, although it is never sweet, rich or exuberant. It fills the mouth respectably still, although it is not as big as the Unico. This is still just a bit unevolved, but it can be drunk right now. This looks like it should age well and I suspect it will be better in time, but it admittedly was not showing quite as well as initially hoped. Perhaps this has closed a bit or travel shock has affected it, but it does seem a bit more compact than the white I originally saw. I can only review what's in front of me. We will see what the future holds. I would say, however, that a hypothetical blend of the Unico and this might have been notably better than both. This wine may yet change again and there is still not much to argue about. If this is your style, it is pretty fine.
Critic scores
Average Score
Mark Squires
Mark Squires
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Estate Branco is probably the best white yet made here and a good testament to how fine 2015 is for Brancos. It is a field blend aged for ten months in used French oak barrels (second, third and fourth usage). It starts with finesse, but it has the intensity and freshness to be enlivening, too. Pointed and focused, it often seems like a fine white Burgundy. It finishes with steel rather than wood on the finish. This is not the deepest ever Branco--if you're looking for fat, rich and sweet, that's never the style here--but it is simply breathtaking in its freshness and crispness on the finish. For as much acidity as this has, it isn't, to be clear, an acid-freak wine. It is beautifully balanced in all ways. It is already integrating its oak beautifully, too. Only in the bottle a few weeks when seen, this gave every indication of being brilliant even then. I suspect it will improve notably with a year (or three) of bottle age, fleshing out a bit and coming together more harmoniously. The acidity underneath will allow this to age well and make this intriguing as it ages, though. It looks like a great Douro white with untapped potential.<br><br>Another big proponent of the 2015 Brancos, owner Rita Marques said that "[20]15 is far and away the best vintage ever...even the worst vineyards were very good." It was, she said, slow maturing with good acidity. These very much have that big zing and zest I like in whites--but they still have wood, even if they don't always seem like it. I suspect they will make fine old bones. Jul 2016, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2016-2030
About the producer
Product details
Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca/Touriga Francesa, Tempranillo
White
Dry