2015 Vallado Douro Touriga Nacional

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The 2015 Touriga Nacional was aged for 16 months in French oak (38% new). It comes in at 14% alcohol. Francisco Spratley Ferreira, of the family that owns Vallado, said that this was one of his favorites ever. Originally seen only as a tank sample in Porto, let's see how it looks in the USA. The dominant impression now: lively, fresh and all about the finesse. As noted in my original comments, this is lighter styled. It does, frankly, seem like it could use a bit more depth at this point. That said, it is gloriously fresh and alive, the juicy fruit laced with plums and blue fruits as it dribbles over the palate. Aromatic and enlivening, it's also delicious in a controlled, focused way. It is all supported nicely by ripe tannins. In the final analysis, though, I'm not sure where this is going. In some ways, it is exciting to drink. It will be the bottle people don't obsess over but the one that will empty in an eye blink at the table. Then, everyone will wonder why they didn't get another glass. Yet it may be a little too understated for its own good over the long haul, and it may not have as much upside potential as I thought. So, let's be a little conservative here in terms of score and drinking window and see where this goes in the next few years.
92 points
Mark Squires – Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate