Quinta do Portal Reserva 2018

This powerful wine, dominated by Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz, has great richness. Wood aging still shows in the spicy character, yet a black currant flavor and bright acidity give freshness to contrast it all. Drink from 2023.

The 2018 Reserva is a roughly equal blend of Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz plus 15% Touriga Franca, aged for nine months in 50% new and French oak. It comes in at 14.8% alcohol (actual). This smooths out some of the rough edges on the regular Tinto in this report, and adds much riper fruit to go with its lusher texture. It's not as elegant, but it's a lot sexier. The tannins still support the fruit well. While the new wood shows too much just now, this should have the mid-palate stuffing to absorb it better in time. This needs a year, maybe two, in the cellar, but it is certainly approachable if you want to dive in now. It does need to prove it can come into better balance, but it's worth leaning up today. No matter what, it should be a nice bargain.