Quinta do Vale Meao, Quinta do Vale Meão 2023

It was very interesting to see the 2023 Quinta do Vale Meão in the context of a mini vertical from 2016 to 2023. From 2017, they used more grapes from a specific vineyard with more full clusters and increasingly less new oak, and they started introducing some 500-liter barrels from 2023. The vintage is quite important here; the wine reflects quite well the conditions of the year. It's usually from the oldest vineyards on the property, and composed of some 90% Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, with the remaining 10% mostly Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, etc. It is vinified by variety with around 15% full clusters and matured in barrels, mostly 225-liter, 35% of them new. The wine shows no oak, it's perfumed and floral with a blend of berries, flowers and spices. It's balanced, harmonious and elegant, with 14% alcohol and a pH of 3.71. It's a year with a lot of fruit, and it has a very long aftertaste. It's a more elegant vintage and is nicely textured. All the wines from 2016 showed very well and are still young and lively. The vintage that felt ready now was the 2018, some seven years after the harvest. 24,500 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2025.