2012 Howard's Folly Reserva

Adorned with a picture of Howard Hodgkin on the label. 75% Syrah and 25% Alicante Bouschet aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. Bottled June 2014. Deep crimson. Balsam nose and excellent acidity counterbalances the very plush fruit and fine, slightly sandy tannin on the end. Quite young. (JR)

75% Syrah, 25% Alicante Bouschet, from Portalegre in the north of Alentejo, at a cool 500 m elevation. 12 months in French oak. Howard Hodgkin label. Inky black cherry colour, almost black at the core and still very youthful looking. More obvious oak compared with the Sonhador 2012 but also a little more savoury, still that slight minty character. Lovely dry-textured dark fruit, a touch of dark chocolate in that dry texture and refined in its rocky darkness even though the sweetness of the oak spice counterbalances that to some extent. Tannins chewy and quite thick, thicker than the Sonhador, but still showing impressive freshness on the finish for such a big wine. At the moment I prefer the slightly more fluid Sonhador but this should have a long future as the texture becomes more refined. (JH)

The 2012 Reserva Howard's Folly is a 75/25 blend of Syrah and Alicante Bouschet, aged for 12 months in a 60/40 mixture of new and used French oak. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol. This takes the Sonhador and adds a little more power and also more mid-palate depth to soak up that power. The oak will be pulled in as time goes by. This is tight, crisp and powerful, with mid-palate finesse and refinement. The silky texture makes it sensual and gives it a bit of a Burgundian feel. This will need some time to come around, but it is very suave and sophisticated. It looks like it has a bright future, although it is a little hard to tell just now how bright. It has some questions to answer in the cellar, but I suspect I'll like the answers. If you like cooler-climate styles, this is for you. There were 800 cases produced. Note: There are several different labels for this wine. Each label, said the winery's representative, "is a representation of a piece of artwork (painting). Howard sponsors an art exhibition in Hong Kong each year. The proceeds from it go to getting kids off the street."