2014 Pintas

The 2014 Pintas is a field blend sourced from old vines (84 years) and aged for 20 months in French oak (30% new and 70% second-year wood). Like so many 2014s, this is a little stern and dry, a little lacking in expression. That said, it is beautifully built and often gorgeous. It shows fine concentration for the vintage, focus and precision. The texture is pure velvet. The finish lingers. Tightly wound, it is nonetheless approachable, although a year or two in the cellar wouldn't hurt. Not quite as sunny and as expressive as the Manoella, this dense Tinto is more closed, drier and a bit sterner. At first, weighing pros and cons, I couldn't decide whether this or the Manoella Old Vines was a better achievement this year. Neither may be completely representative of the properties in the very best years, but they both are very good off-vintage performances, a tribute to the winemaking skill. I'd tend to pick this. Its mouth-filling demeanor is impressive at the moment, as is its structure. It simply grips the palate. As with the Manoella, the remaining question will be whether this develops and improves with time, or begins to lose focus. I do have some doubts there. It certainly seems likely to be early-maturing. This still looks like one of the best bets for an upper-level 2014 red. After a couple of hours open, it was still impressive, if more elegant. We'll see what the future has to say when it gets here, but this has some upside potential.