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Quinta do Vale Meao, Quinta do Vale Meão 2012

RegionPortugal
Subregion Portugal
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyTouriga Nacional

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Label

Tasting Notes

A rich red, with brooding dark plum, mulberry and dark cherry flavors, filled with spicy notes. Offers accents of licorice and blackstrap molasses midpalate, leading to a long, dense and refined finish of mineral and dark chocolate. Drink now through 2020. 2,050 cases made.

94
Kim Marcus, WineSpectator.com, April 2015

The 2012 Estate Tinto is a blend of 58% Touriga Nacional, 35% Touriga Franca, 5% Tinta Barroca and 2% Tinta Roriz, aged for 18 months in French barriques (80% new, the rest second use). It comes in at 14% alcohol and was sourced from vines averaging 45 years of age. Like so many reds in this fresh, elegant vintage, the emphasis here is more on balance than concentration and that "wow" moment. Yet, this winery is surprisingly elegant in most years, even if from Douro Superior. It rarely goes for the obvious, usually happier with finesse and balance. Overall, this seems on track to do well. It is no wimp and it is simply irresistible. There is intensity on the finish, both in flavor and some tannic pop. After the fruity opening, it closes fairly quickly. If the palate was initially laced with wonderfully fresh fruity notes, it became a bit stern as it aired. Its little brother, the Meandro reviewed this issue, lacks its feeling of fullness as this Estate Tinto expands in the mouth. The fruit nuances here are also more invigorating and more interesting. The next day, it seemed like an elegant Burgundy, a bit understated but caressing on the palate and simply delicious. It does tighten pretty quickly with aeration. Overall, this is a pretty fine wine in this vintage and it will be one of those wines you simply love to drink. Expect it to improve in the cellar over the next 4-5 years. There were 2,050 cases produced.

94
Mark Squires, Wine Advocate (216), January 2015

Floral, dark-fruited intensity on the nose. Violets. Rich, violet-chocolate intensity. Caressing, deep tannins. Full and perfumed and long. Great purity. 2016 - 2025

17.5
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, March 2015

This is one of the grand wines of the Douro, from the last estate to be founded by the legendary Dona Antonia Ferreira in the 19th century. This is a long-lasting wine showing a fresh character, with dense, dark tannins and intense floral fruit. This will age for many years, so don't drink before 2020.

97
Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, June 2015
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.