“As densely planted as the fruit is concentrated, at 12,500 vines/ha Urtiga’s centenarian vines eke out less than half a kilo each. With 63 different varieties, this heavyweight is multi-layered, with ripe blackcurrant and forest fruits, plums seguing into prunes, dark chocolate violet creams, spice, warm earth and minerals. Iron filing tannins and balanced acidity keep the fruit on a rail.”

“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.”

“The 2021 Duas Quintas Reserva Branco is almost all Rabigato this year, mostly unoaked, with only 25% of the juice in (mostly) French barrels, only 10% new. It comes in at 13.1% alcohol. Wonderfully fresh, this also projects some concentration, but most of all it just dances across the tongue, perfectly expressing the Rabigato. This was only in bottle about two weeks when seen. It was showing well, but it certainly has some room to improve. This is a beauty, among the best I've seen, with some potential to improve more.”

“The 2021 Duas Quintas Branco is a blend of 60% Rabigato, 20% Viosinho and 10% each of Arinto and Códega. About 10% of the juice was in a mixture of French and Austrian wood for six months, but this is otherwise unoaked. It comes in at 13.1% alcohol. Always a nice choice at a nice price, this seem solid and it is always perky. This is a very nice year for freshness, but everything is perfectly integrated too. It seems solid enough for food, elegant enough to drink on its own. It's hard to go wrong with this balanced wine at this price.”

“The 2019 Duas Quintas Reserva is a 70/20 blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, with Tinta da Barca for the rest, all aged for 18 months in 20% new French oak of various sizes. It comes in at a hefty 15.7% alcohol. A big Reserva, this has fine depth and concentration, big fruit flavors and pungent aromatics. There is a serious backbone too. It is, though, the highest I've seen in alcohol (although some might have more generic and less accurate label numbers rather than the actual analytical numbers I seek now). So far, this seems to handle its size and alcohol very well, even if it is a bit of an outlier (but not as much for the Reserva, as the regular in this report is for that lighter-styled brand). In fact, it seems rather delicious and still focused. It's tightly wound but not harsh. Right now, I have to lean up on this but not quite all the way. I'm sure some will find it sensational, but I would like to see some evidence it can hold its balance. The tannins are not hard, so you can try this now. It will still be better in a couple of years, if all goes well.”