2007 Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional

The 2007 Touriga Nacional has been seen a couple of times, but not for seven or eight years. The benchmark wine for Vallado in this vintage was the Reserva (which showed brilliantly in a vertical about two years back). I was never quite as convinced by this Touriga, but this is showing nicely. In fact, it seems to have finally developed. It's a fairly ripe Touriga with a touch of flamboyance on the flavor profile, suggesting some lightly baked blueberries on the finish. It seems concentrated, but not thick or clumsy. More importantly, it is fully open now. It hardly seems like the same wine at times. It still projects understatement, as it is smooth and harmonious. The tannins have fallen off. There isn’t a lot of firmness on the finish, and its future is still at issue. It seems every time I look at it, I’m wondering what the future will be. That’s because I’m never sure there will be much of one. I’m surprised it has held this well. At this point, it has a shot at making 20 years in pretty good shape. It is the expressiveness, though, that makes this more impressive today, not the structure. It certainly deserves an extension of the drinking window, but I’d also say that this is its peak moment. I don’t think it will improve more, and it has some risk of decline, no matter how long it theoretically holds past the new drinking window. It certainly won't fall off the table, but it lacks the structure to keep improving. This is the moment. Don't expect great improvement if you keep holding it. The risk will be greater than the reward.