2015 Touriga Nacional
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Touriga Nacional was aged for 16 to 18 months in new, light-toast French oak (two different vineyard plots averaging 35 years in vine age, fermented separately). A selection of the best barrels, it comes in at 14.4% alcohol. This is the first Touriga Nacional offering since the 2012. When first seen about a year ago, it was lovely. It is more aromatic and sensual now but still very unevolved. It still has that subtle concentration to make you feel every ounce of the fruit on the palate while never seeming jammy. The tannins are very ripe, making this easy to approach right now, but there is grip on the finish and the fruit lingers beautifully. It is very suave and refined. This has upside potential in the cellar. It is certainly a star. I'm not yet fully convinced it is a superstar, but it may one day get there. For the moment, let's be a bit conservative again. There were just 6,808 bottles produced, plus some large-format bottles.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Mark Squires
More reviews and scores
18 months in French oak. Bottled unfiltered October 2017. Inky dark like elderberry juice. Intense and intensely perfumed aroma that combines the dark fruit and violet character of Touriga plus the spicy sweetness of the oak, neither dominating and all meshed even though it still smells very young. That scented character on the palate, with a touch of bergamot but mostly rich, sweetly spiced, lightly toasty black fruit, blackberry and mulberry rather than cassis. Long spicy aftertaste. Needs more time but the harmony in this powerful wine is excellent. The tannins are smoother than on the Tinta Roriz 2015, still deep and firm but already polished. (JH)