Quinta do Vale Meao, Quinta do Vale Meão 2017

The 2017 Tinto is a 50/40 blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, with Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca filling out the blend, all aged for 16 months in 50% new French oak. It comes in at 14% alcohol. This was last seen as an unbottled sample in Porto. It is now in bottle and in the USA. As this has settled in, it seemed a little less impressive—at first and on opening. A calling card here will be the intensity of fruit flavor. Yet, while it is certainly very ripe, it never seems jammy or sweet. It retains precision, and it becomes somewhat more complex as it airs out. The tannins are ripe enough so that this is actually approachable now, but there is some tannic pop, and this needs development. It would be a mistake to open it today. Come back around 2025 for better results. Yet it still seemed too understated on opening. In fact, the next day it seemed somewhat ordinary at first, ready to roll. I was wondering if it deserved more than a very low 90s score. Yet it woke up with an hour in the glass, gained weight and fruit flavor and coated the palate nicely. There were hints of seared beef and chocolate. Suddenly, it was mid-90s. As long as it was open, it kept getting better—and more powerful. It became impressive again. That's a good sign. It remained accessible, but it became more interesting. Overall, this looks like a beauty. At the moment, I'd favor the 2016, but both still need to settle down. It will be interesting to revisit both when they have about another five years of age on them. 2021-2040

The 2017 Tinto is a mostly a 50/40 blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, with Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca filling out the blend, all aged for 16 months in 50% new French oak. It comes in at 14% alcohol. This was set for bottling in a couple of weeks, but it was the final blend and out of barrels. It seems brilliant, a potentially great estate red. Xito Olazabal said it was one of the freshest he has ever made. That leads to a crisp and aromatic red with very flavorful fruit. It is remarkably pure too, the oak hardly noticeable for the most part. Consistent with the style, it shows its typically gorgeous mid-palate finesse—it's silky and sensual with a Burgundian feel. As accessible as it now seems, it will close a bit and it should get at least a couple of years of cellaring. It will then age very well. We'll see where this goes in time, but it looks like a big winner so far. 2021-2042.