
Wine & Soul Pintas 2016 Douro Red

The 2016 Pintas is a field blend from old vines aged for 20 months in 30% new French oak. It comes in at 14% alcohol. Not quite bottled when seen. this was out of cask and the final blend. Aggressive in its youth. this also seems wonderfully fresh. with enticing and lifted fruit. plus a big. lingering finish filled with flavor. Very tight. this is going to need a couple of years to come around—and much longer to acquire complexity—but the tannins are not overly hard. It will still be approachable fairly young. This is another super Pintas. a great follow-up to the 2015. Better? Maybe. although this is a little hard to read. We'll see as they both settle in over the next few years. The typical generalization in Douro on the two vintages is that the 2015s are a little fresher and more elegant. while the 2016s are a little more concentrated—granting many exceptions. For her part. Sandra Tavares said this had a bit more depth. while the 2015 had a bit more charm. Ultimately. they are different sides of the same coin. pretty close to one another in style. Both seem rather brilliant. As they age. we'll have fun seeing who wins.
Die Weine bewahren bei aller Konzentration und Kraft stets Ihre Komplexität und Eleganz. Erst seit 2001 werden Weine wie der Pintas erzeugt. aber schon heute zählen diese Weine zu den absoluten Kultweinen Portugals. Die Produktion dieser Spitzengewächse ist jedes Jahr sehr limitiert.

The 2015 Pintas is a field blend (30+ grapes) from old vines (85+ years) aged for 20 months in 30% new French oak. It comes in at 14% alcohol. This looks like a star of the vintage. managing to show finesse. elegance. power and concentration at the same time. More concentrated (but less lively) than its Manoella Vinhas Velhas sibling this issue. a fairly typical result for the terroirs and styles. it nonetheless controls its power and concentration well. balancing each against the other and seeming impeccable on all fronts. Potentially stunning. this has a long life ahead. It's also pretty delicious. It was a tank sample when tasted out of barrel. the final blend awaiting bottling in the immediate future. While we do have to take another look at this in time. it is hard not to be enthused at the moment.