2016 Ameal Loureiro
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The 2016 Loureiro, the winery's Classico, is unoaked. It was bottled in early February 2017 and comes in at 11.5% alcohol. When last seen some four years back, this was another brilliant example of how fine the regular Loureiro can be and not just a thing like the Solo Único or Escolha. Some age has only proven that view correct. Sensually textured, strikingly pure and a concentrated expression of the essence of this grape, this drinks beautifully today. There is power on that finish, though, with tension and big bursts of acidity. Elegant, too, it is young but hard to resist right now, which is not to say it is done developing or at peak. It showed better at around 60 degrees Fahrenheit and was better the next day as well. This perfectly balanced but racy expression of Loureiro is brilliant on its own terms, if rather different than the Solo Único also reevaluated this report. This is rounding into form, but it has many years of life left.
Critic scores
Average Score
Mark Squires
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Really leafy nose with lots of fruit and chew. Substance then chalky finish. Very slightly bitter end. (JR)
Fragrantly floral and lightly herbal. Tart but balanced in its freshness. Light and dry tasting. Scented to the end. Mouth-watering finish. (JH)
The 2016 Loureiro, the winery's Classico, is unoaked. It was bottled in early February 2017 and comes in at 11.5% alcohol. Another fine milestone in this winery's history, this tightly-wound Loureiro is precise, focused and penetrating, as always. Pungent and enlivening, this is rather muscular in its youth, yet you can still taste the great fruit here. It manages to be delicious and brilliantly structured at the same time. I'm not sure this is quite as good as its predecessor, but it might be. It isn't showing as much just now, though. It is admittedly very young, seen with less than 90 days in bottle, and a little unevolved. It will certainly be better this time next year. It may have a 15+ year aging capacity or so, too. In the right vintages, it is astounding how well these lighter-styled whites age. Needless to say, provenance and storage must be perfect. If you like your whites light, bright and fresh, this is one of the best values around. There were 50,000 bottles produced. Jun 2017, www.robertparker.com