Opened a bottle tonight, to pair with some grilled ribeye and asparagus. This is my first Douro red, and may have been my first Portuguese non-Port all together. This wine is rated 96 by WE, 94 by WA, and 93 by WS, so came in with very high expectations.
Unfortunately, it did not meet expectations. The wine is a deep dark purple. On the nose, there is wonderful dark fruit, cherries, oak, and leather. After a good sniff, I was really excited to take a sip as the wine smelled like it was going to be stellar. Sadly, the taste was extremely flat as none of the dark fruit I smelled made it through to the palate. The wine has high acidity, and delightful tannins, but no other flavor at all. I’m sure others will appreciate the balance and elegance of this offering, but I prefer more fruit in my wines. I have another bottle, that I will let sit for a few years, to see if some of the acidity smooths out over time revealing a bit more of the other flavors I prefer.