2009 Quinta do Vale Meao
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Tasting notes
57% Touriga Nacional, 35% Touriga Franca, 5% Tinta Barroca, 3% Tinta Roriz from the best and oldest vineyard. Aged in 100% new French oak, which adds some vanilla sweetness. Dark purplish crimson. Fragrant aromas marked by Touriga Nacional's hallmark bergamot note, though there's also plenty of minerally dark fruit and a hint of black olives. Smells of the rocky terrain, even a touch dusty. Fabulously dry and mineral, with the fruit held in check, giving that coal-dark character that I love about the Douro. Dry and savoury on the finish, still pretty oaky, superb structure that gives elegant shape and takes a supporting role though it does need time to show its best. Deft ly fine almost silky texture even with all those tannins. You can feel the oak, and taste it on the finish, but it should play an increasingly secondary role. Sheer class. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
57% Touriga Nacional, 35% Touriga Franca, 5% Tinta Barroca, 3% Tinta Roriz. 27,000 bottles and about to be released (Oct 2011). Best and oldest vineyards. 100% new French oak (can go down to 70% in some vintages). Mainly Taransaud, which works well with Touriga Nacional because it is more neutral, and François Frères – higher toa st – for the Touriga Franca. Big Touriga Franca component, as well as several other varieties. Deep, inky black cherry colour. Touch of vanilla sweetness on the nose and lots of oak sweetness on the palate. Vanilla over dark fruit and black olive. Much finer tannins than Meandro even though they are more dense. Dry but sweet–fruited finish. Fine dark berries on the mid palate and more mineral than the Meandro. Overall sweet with a note of Touriga Nacional perfume. (JH)
The 2009 Tinto, the winery’s flagship label, is a blend of Touriga Nacional (57%), Touriga Franca (35%), with 5% Tinta Barroca and just 3% Tinta Roriz – most of that went into the Meandro this year. Quite powerful, this is more refined than the Meandro; it shows more finesse and elegance in the mid-palate, while remaining intense on the finish. Like the Meandro, it is in a difficult place at the moment and really needs some time to come around, but I think the combination of intensity, structure and finesse are going to make this a big winner as time goes on. This is a powerful wine – let it settle down. It may be approachable sooner, and my drinking windows accounts for that, but I really suspect it won’t get anywhere near peak until about 2016-2019. There were 2,300 cases produced. Drink 2014-2025. Importer: W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Harrison, NY; tel. (914) 251-3209.