2013 Batuta Tinto

The 2013 Batuta, one of Niepoort's many wines with a certain theme (here, namely, "less is more"), is a field blend from old vines aged for 22 months in a 75/25 mixture of used and new French oak. It is listed at just 12.5% alcohol. This was a difficult Douro vintage for many, but this wine tends to be lighter in style anyway. The winery says: "The 2013 harvest began on 19 August, earlier than usual, in order to maintain the high levels of acidity and avoid high degrees of alcohol. It was a more productive year, around 25% better than 2012. The decision to start harvesting earlier turned out to be the right one, since the main vineyards had already been harvested before it started raining heavily on the 27th September." I came to like this modestly concentrated and very understated Tinto because the winery's plan mostly worked--the acidity makes this dance appealingly on the tongue. It is fresh, lively and enlivening. What it is not, however, is particularly ripe or filled with flavor. Dry and crisp, it is a perfect food wine, already drinking pretty well at this young age. I don't really see much upside potential with extended cellaring, but the freshness should preserve it reasonably well. Overall, it should be a bottle that drains quickly at the table. It won't astonish, but it's going to be hard to dislike.