Symington Family Estates Altano Reserva, Douro, Portugal

賽明頓阿爾塔諾珍藏

點擊次數(shù)：6881

The 2017 Altano Reserva (the white label) is a 40/30 blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, with a field blend from old vines for the rest, all aged for 10 months in a mixture of used American and French oak. It comes in at 14.6% alcohol. Feeling rather full in the mid-palate, this has its typical solid demeanor—actually, it seems notably riper than normal in this big vintage—and its familiar oak treatment, which is not as annoying as it used to be. The balance is good, with some ripe tannins evident but not getting in the way of enjoying this right now. Overall, this adds some modest power and concentration to the regular Altanos, but I'm not sure the final result is that much more pleasing today—it depends on how you feel about the big fruit and the oak, as opposed to finesse and freshness. This is certainly poised to age better, though.

The 2016 Altano Reserva (the white label) is 60% Touriga Nacional with 20% Touriga Franca and a field blend from old vines for the rest, aged for 10 months in an 80/20 mixture of American (half new) and French (all used) oak. It comes in at 13.7% alcohol. This has typically been a wine that shows off some oak, but the American oak has diminished over time. That said, this is still pretty oaky on opening. It is in a crowd-pleasing style that attracts attention up front. Yet there is also discernible fruit tinged with blueberries that pokes up its head. The structure on this Reserva is also a lot better than on the regular Altanos. The concentration here is a bit less than on the 2015 Reserva, however, but overall this might be that wine's equal—just with different pros and cons. They both have a chance to improve. This overall is well focused, balanced and drinks pretty well now. It might be better and more graceful in the summer of 2020.

The 2015 Altano Reserva (the white label) is mostly Touriga Nacional with 10% Touriga Franca, aged for 12 months in 40% new American oak (mostly 400 liters). It comes in at 14.1% alcohol. This wine controls the wood nicely this vintage. In some years, I've found the oak more intrusive, but it seems this is going in the right direction in that regard. What this wine always did well, though, was provide a more voluptuous feel than its lower-level siblings, as well as better structure. That remains true, happily. It coats the palate nicely and rolls around the mouth. Nicely balanced and showing a bit more intensity than the lower level (even with an extra year of age here), the only issue for some will be the price spike. This is the better wine, though. It is more able to stand up to food pairings and more able to age a bit, not that you should expect any great rewards from aging.

The 2014 Altano Reserva is mostly Touriga Nacional with 10% Touriga Franca, aged for 10 months in American oak (40% new). It comes in at 14.1% alcohol. It has more structure and depth than the 2015 Altano Organic this issue but also lacks that wine's vivid flavor—or at least the oak obscures it. Overall this is definitely the better food wine as it has a bit more stuffing but it is not necessarily more attractive or more fun. It is already drinking well now. There won't be a lot of reward for holding it more than a few years but it is a good performance at this level in a tough year. There were 3,460 cases produced plus 240 magnums.

The 2009 ALTANO RESERVA “QUINTA DE ATAIDE” is a single vineyard Altano, 100% Touriga Nacional, aged for 12 months in American oak. That oak is front and center early in its life, but there is very nice structure and better focus than on, say, the Bomfim Reserva. There is some crispness and a backbone. With considerable aeration, the oak first faded and then reasserted itself. Still, it is churlish to be too hard on this wine which does so much so well—so, say this has some promise if you like its style and flavor profile. It will never be a blockbuster and it probably will never win points for complexity, but it is likely to pull together well, drink well and make a lot of folks happy. There were 3,000 cases produced. Drink now-2018. Importer: Vineyard Brands, 2000 Resource Drive, Birmingham, AL 35242, 205-980-8802