Quinta Vale D. Maria Vinha da Francisca 2014

The 2014 Vinha da Francisca (Quinta Vale D. Maria) is a blend of Sousão (50%), Touriga Nacional (20%), Touriga Franca (15%), Rufete (10%) and Tinta Francisca for the rest, approximately. It was aged for 22 months in a 65/35 mixture of new and used French barriques. This winery typically boasts of its very old-vines plots, but Vinha da Francisca is its relatively young-vines offering (by Van Zeller standards, that means most were planted in 2004, some others in 2007). Yet, it has generally showed beautifully. This is another nice performance, even more impressive given how tough this vintage was. In fact, this year it is probably my favorite of the 2014 reds from Van Zeller. Perhaps it is the high quantity of Sousão that gives this a bit more life, energy and a certain brightness in a year where too many wines were relatively flat and dull. Perhaps it is that this bottling is usually designed for finesse rather than richness anyway--you don't much care or notice if it is a bit light and emphasizes elegance. That is how it usually shows. In a year where few wines have richness, this isn't a bottling that would've made its reputation that way in any event. It is, on the other hand, relatively full of flavor and very aromatic for a 2014 Tinto. Its structure is nice, too. It finishes with some tension and grip. Its main flaw is that it is a bit too oaky just now, suffused with vanilla and a touch of cream. That persisted into the next day. However, the wine's inherent freshness and fine structure eventually cut through the wood. It then began to show some plum and rhubarb nuances. This definitely needs some settle-down time, like most big new reds, but it is accessible young. Will it hold well? Sometimes, from vintages like this, the fruit fades quickly, frankly. They show at their best when young. Still, there isn't much sign at the moment that this is off of its normal mark and it might be better than some. It should hold well in the cellar and continue developing over the next several years, at the least. Bottled in August 2016, there were just 8,681 bottles produced, plus some large format bottles.

From vines planted in 2004, this wine celebrates daughter Francesca's 18th birthday and is a ripe impressive wine that is rich and smoothly textured. A blend of classic Douro grapes, especially Tinta Francisca, the wine is full of black fruits and ripe tannins. It will be ready from 2019.

A powerful Douro red, this is balanced on a massive scale. It’s 50 percent sousão, the balance tourigas nacional and franca, rufete and five percent tinta francisca, aged for 22 months in barrique (65 percent new). Give it enough air and the meaty richness and potent oak turns toward a sleek, smooth evocation of black, schist-grown grapes. Not ready to approach, this is a concentrated wine to cellar for a decade or more.