Vinha do Contador Grande Júri 2013

The 2013 Tinto Vinha do Contador Grande Júri (Paço dos Cunhas) is 60% Touriga Nacional with 20% each of Alfrocheiro and Tinta Roriz, all aged for 24 months in 50% new French oak. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol. This is a "best barrels" selection, with the 25 best barrels selected from a group of 100. With the late release, this is ready to drink, but it still does have surprising grip on the finish. It's tight and powerful, with flavor on that respectably long finish. The flavor profile, however, tends to dark and bitter chocolate nuances that give this both a very ripe and moderately mature feel. The fruit is probably more mature than the structure would suggest, but it is fine for the moment. Intense and not the most elegant version in the region, this is still impressive on many fronts. I'll concede I wasn't quite as impressed as the packaging would suggest I must be, but it is certainly very fine. The structure is close to an "A+," but the fruit profile is not quite keeping pace with that. Needless to say, it requires an appropriate food pairing to show better. There were 6,460 bottles produced.