2013 Doña Maria Petit Verdot Vinho Regional Alentejano

The 2013 Petit Verdot has been seen before, but this is a new look with a little more time to settle in bottle. It was aged for 12 months in French oak (70% used). Showing fine concentration, this has fleshed out, opened a bit, become livelier and notably more aggressive. Rather tight on the finish, its aggression in structure isn't really matched by expressive fruit (not, to be sure, that Petit Verdot completely lends itself to that--there's a reason not too many winemakers become rich and famous for Petit Verdot, perhaps). This just exploded in the glass, though, in every other way. If it is sometimes a bit stolid in personality, I had to admire the way it kept acquiring power and putting on weight with air. I'd take the more elegant, more aromatic and more flavorful Touriga from Dona Maria this issue--it seems more of a complete wine--but it is hard to deny that this, too, has dramatically awakened with extra time in bottle. It does have some questions to answer still, the most important of which is whether it becomes expressive in time. Considering the reasonable price point, it is well worth a look and you can't go far wrong, no matter what. It is also worth leaning up rather than down this time--consider that some optimism. It really needs another year or so in the cellar for better results, even if it is theoretically approachable now.