Quinta Do Vesuvio Douro 2015 750ml

Made by the Symington family, a major producer in the Douro, this wine comes from one of the region's legendary estates. With 16 months in wood, the wine has been smoothed and its fruit polished to give an opulent wine with plenty of tannic structure. Rich blackberry flavors have a strongly mineral texture that will allow this wine to age well. Drink from 2022. (Cellar Selection)

The 2015 Tinto (Quinta do Vesúvio), the Estate red, is a blend of 54% Touriga Nacional, 42% Touriga Franca and a dollop of Tinta Amarela, mostly from the highest part of the vineyard (450 meters). It was aged for 16 months in French oak (75% new, a slight variation on the prior note) and comes in at 14.1% alcohol. When seen before as a tank sample, this looked stellar. Let's check in. This is wonderfully elegant, with intensity of flavor and a refined feel. This is a Quinta I love for its expression of fruit, but it does not stint on elegance here. The tannins are very ripe, making this surprisingly approachable even its youth. I was a little surprised that it seemed so accessible. When I went back to it after an hour or so in the glass, however, it was far more interesting. It gained weight and seemed twice as concentrated. It became a little tighter on the finish as well, although the tannins were still reasonably ripe. Suddenly, though, it was seeming like fine Bordeaux with pure and expressive fruit in all its glory. This is still an undeveloped puppy, even if seems approachable. It may yet (and should) become something even more in a few years. If you open it anytime soon, it will benefit from some air. There were 23,100 bottles produced, plus some large-format bottles.

A generous, polished red sporting an array of glazed black cherry, currant and blackberry flavors woven together with licorice, Asian spice and mineral elements. Full, supple tannins hug the floral aromas on the finish. Drink now through 2023. 800 cases made, 100 cases imported.