2005 Quinta do Vale Meao Douro Red

A very dry though not especially hot vintage, giving very small berries, says owner/winemaker Francisco Olazabal. Touriga Nacional seems to cope better than most varieties with lack of water – less likely to shut down. Dark, silky and refined. Fragrant and so fresh, with some notes of orange and bergamot. Supple tannins with plenty of spice. (JH)

Slightly more herbal than the Meandro, but still with plenty of black fruit. A little spirity on the nose but good freshness. Dry, long and firm. Again more modern than many but still very Douro. (JH)

The 2005 TINTO is a fine wine, but this bottling from the hot Douro Superior does not seem to be like most other 2005s. It is backward and powerfully constructed, and has lots of everything, including fruit, alcohol and tannins. It is a very different wine than the elegant and charming 2004. A far greater proportion of the juice was raised in oak this year than in most years, yet it doesn’t show oaky at all. It was closed for quite awhile after opening. It took 90 minutes to get any flavor from the fruit, and three hours to get anything interesting. When the fruit finally appeared, it had some of the same delicious flavors as the 2004, a little brighter, perhaps, but surpisingly rich and quite delicious. The texture is quite seductive. This went from a wine that I feared might be a bit too rustic and a little old-fashioned to a wine I liked quite a lot, although there were some moments towards the end when I had a little remaining concern about its balance. Although, as noted, it does not seem quite like the generally elegant and graceful 2005s turned out elsewhere in the Douro, its mid-palate is nonetheless more elegant than you might think at first taste, considering the power inherent in the wine. I think this will resolve into something special. I am betting that it all works out, meaning the tannins on this backward wine have to balance out with the fruit with a few years of cellaring. If it does, it might even merit a score increase, and it will likely be the wine of the vintage. Drink 2012-2028. Importer: W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Harrison, N.Y.; tel: (914) 251-3209.