Winemaker Notes
Very concentrated aromas, with balsamic notes of oak, fig, black plum and tobacco. The palate is full-bodied and firm, with mature and silky tannins. There are mineral notes, and an elegant, persistent and complex finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The harmonious and balanced 2021 Reserva Field Blend comes from old vines where Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Tinta Amarela and Tinta Barroca dominate, mostly from the property, with some from Rio Torto. It's a classical Douro red from the winery—ripe, powerful but with elegance and balance. It's clean, modern, with very integrated oak, ripe without excess, 13.5% alcohol—lower than usual though a constant in the wines from 2021. It has abundant, fine-grained tannins, and it's elegant and round and has a long finish. It's tasty and should develop nicely in bottle. 2021 is one of the finest years in recent times
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Wine Enthusiast
The wine comes from a vineyard with vines up to 100 years old. A field blend means scores of native Portuguese varieties grown on the ground, not trellised, over decades. Rich in tannins and spice from wood aging, this complex wine is densely textured. Powerful black fruits give the wine its ripeness and impressive potential. Drink from 2026.
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Wine Spectator
There's a subtle and appealing aromatic overtone of dried violet, crushed rosemary, incense and mineral to this fresh, well-tailored red, while flavors of baked plum, chopped blackberry, milled pepper, fresh earth and iron are aligned with firm, fine-grained tannins. Best from 2027 through 2036.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.