“A meaty ragù of black fruit and tobacco scents, this is smoky and unctuous, with energy to drive its gamey rusticity. For grilled lamb.”

“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.”

“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 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.”