“From an estate vineyard planted in the 1970s in the arid Douro Superior, this is a vibrant red focused around the energy in its schist-driven tannins. The fruit is bright purple, long on peppery astringency, with an undertone of fresh pear and quince-showing ripeness while sustaining freshness. It has the brightness of the Douro sun on stone, translated into a clean, dynamic wine with a clear road ahead in the cellar.”

“Silky in texture, with a firm core of chalky tannins seamlessly knit to a range of ripe black and red currant, bay leaf, loamy earth and black licorice notes. Well-cut and harmonious, with spice and mineral notes playing on the finish. Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. Drink now through 2029.”

“Plenty of praline, toasted oak and sweet spices on the nose. Full-bodied with fine tannins. Rich and layered with a creamy core of dark fruit at the center. Flavorful finish. Drink or hold.”

“A regular medal winner at DWWA, this is a traditional LBV from an excellent year. Foot-trodden aged for years in wood before bottling without filtration. This wine has power and depth, with fresh, tight-knit fruit and gentle peppery-spicy grip. It already shows considerable floral finesse but will age and soften in bottle if laid down for another five years.”

“The 2018 Urtiga is a field blend (some 63 grapes in the blend) aged in French oak for 18 months, mostly in 2,000-liter vessels. This comes in at 15.6% alcohol. These are pre-phylloxera, centenarian vines. This seems shockingly fresh for a wine so big and so ripe. The fruit is fragrant and expressive, simply delicious. The tannins are not too hard. It is rather polished, but without a doubt, the key here is the big fruit, some raspberries, cherries and other red fruits in a surprisingly nuanced package. This seems irresistible and delicious but also elegant, despite its size. It looks like a big winner. How well will it age? Well, it's the first vintage, there is no track record and the tannins are moderately ripe, but I'd bet 20 years would be safe. It might do more, but I doubt it will do a lot less. Overall, let's see this make its case in the cellar both in aging ability and in terms of holding its balance. Right at the moment, it is very promising. There were 3,100 bottles produced.”